Despite the cold and rainy weather today, Philadelphia was alive with some great energy! I walked around all day and had a great time. There was many people on the streets around City Hall with lots of hype around the 76ers and many tourists on Market Street. Later in the evening there was salsa dancing in love park, but the power was down in the Reading Terminal Market. I ended my day listening to the beautiful music from the Wanamaker Organ

Today I decided to give the lifting technique by EK a try. I can’t believe how much weight that beast can do with his “atlas lift.” I was able to throw on 4 plates and hit 405. What I realize is that it’s all about the hype. I should definitely have hyped myself up while doing this lift to get the full effect, but I was tinkering and just trying things out this time.

The Wanamaker Organ is one of the many wonders this beautiful world and one of the greatest artistic achievements of mankind. Stop by sometime and come listen with me! It plays everyday except Sunday at 12:30 and 5:30PM. Today I caught the 12:30 session and plan on stopping by every single day to listen to music. No more air buds pros. No more Spotify. Just pure artistic magic and the joy of music here on Market Street in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is the greatest city in the United States of America. Here at the country’s birthplace, there is endless terrain to wander and explore. From the streets to the parks, the rivers to the woods, we have it all! I walk around this city with my head held high as a proud citizen. I love this city and I love this great country! What a joy it is to be a proud Philadelphian…

City Hall in Philadelphia is the largest municipal building in the United States of America! What a beautiful structure this building is. I love walking through the tunnels each day during my walks through the city. I always admire the buildings that were constructed by the Masons. I believe they are way more beautiful than the new style of glass architecture that has become more and more apparent throughout the advent of the industrial revolution. City Hall seems like a fortified castle to me! New pieces of architecture might as well just be built by robots at this point… I guess they basically are

In praise of my friend Matthew! He is the only photographer I have ever met who shares the courage I do. We would fight in the grass around our campus at Hebrew University to pump ourselves up before going into the danger zone. I don’t trust any photographer who won’t fight with me.

Clashes at the Qalandia Checkpoint, 2017

I think as a kid, I ate more dirt than the others around me. I was always in the backyard and the woods rummaging my hands around in the earth. Whether I was digging holes, building forts, or playing with sticks and rocks, I had my body connected to the Earth as much as possible. I think this effects your overall health in an unorthodox way.

Just eat fermented kimchi every night as a natural alarm clock. I haven’t had to set an alarm to wake up in the morning ever since I started eating kimchi. I think the spicier the better. I like the flavor from Costco, but it’s not as spicy and flavorful as the local kimchi I can get from Sue’s Produce in Philadelphia.

Your gut health and all of the good bacteria inside you is connected to the brain. Any feelings of poor “mental health” will fade right away when you start having proper bowel movements every single morning.

Today I went for a bike ride along the Lincoln Drive Trail in the Wissahickon Creek. I enjoyed the trail, discovered new things, and sang a song!

“The name of the neighborhood comes from the Lenni Lenape word wisameckham, for “catfish creek“, a reference to the fish that were once plentiful in the Wissahickon Creek. Wissahickon. Neighborhood of Philadelphia.”

I was really impressed by this E-bikes uphill and off-road performance! I was able to climb steep hills, ultimately leading me to discover the Hermits of the Wissahickon.

Kelpius, a 17th century German Pietist and mystic, based his belief on the teachings of his mentor, Johann Jacob Zimmermann, who through astrology foretold the Second Coming of Christ, and was convinced the coming apocalypse would happen at the “edge of the wilderness.” This prophecy he attributed to a passage in the Book of Revelations about a woman who fled into the wilderness, where God had readied for her a place to await the impending rapture.

Zimmermann began negotiations with William Penn to obtain a land settlement in the Province of Pennsylvania so that he and his followers, “The Society of the Woman in the Wilderness,” could prepare for the day of reckoning. The 40 followers – 40 being a significant number for the society – were mystics who belonged to a Pietist sect in Lutheranism, and they chose Pennsylvania because of its reputation for religious tolerance.

In 1693, before the sect could journey from Germany to Philadelphia, Zimmermann died suddenly, leaving his disciple, Kelpius, a 26-year-old, as the society’s leader.

When the sun is out I notice people tend to be a lot more friendly and talkative on the street. I try to stay in the sun as much as I possibly can. Here in Philadelphia, the mornings can be chilly, and the winters are rough, but I love finding me a patch of sunlight to bask in! It’s so nice to just let the sunlight hit your skin and recharge your soul. I think the sun is one of God’s most important creations for human beings.

May is here! A quick stroll through Philadelphia around Market street this morning. Ricoh GRIII High Contrast Black and White with Small JPEGs

This organ is so beautiful! On Sunday, I went inside the Wanamaker building in hopes to listen to the beautiful music, but it seems that the schedule fluctuates on this day. Meet me at the eagle statue at 5:30 for my very own super secret street photography fight club. Register via email today: dante(at)dantesisofo.com

Grip strength as the ultimate determining factor of somebody’s strength? I am starting to think that grip strength is everything. Having no grip strength is the ultimate sign of weakness. I have been doing farmers walks everyday with heavy dumbells as a way to stay physically strong. Without tenacity, I can imagine that you naturally lack courage.

te·nac·i·ty
noun
the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; grip.”the sheer tenacity of the limpet”