Independence Hall – The Centennial Bell Rings at Noon
I was lucky to have the bell ring here! The spontaneous nature of the moment never disappoints me. Come listen to the Centennial Bell ring at noon in front of Independence Hall!
Freedom
From Middle English fredom, freedom, from Old English frēodōm (“freedom, state of free-will, charter, emancipation, deliverance”), from Proto-West Germanic *frijadōm (“freedom”). Equivalent to free + -dom. Cognate with North Frisian fridoem (“freedom”), Dutch vrijdom (“freedom”), Low German frīdom (“freedom”), Middle High German vrītuom (“freedom”), Norwegian fridom (“freedom”).
- The state of being free, of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
- The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free
- The right or privilege of unrestricted use or access
- Frankness; openness; unreservedness.
Become the jester
It’s more courageous to become the jester and joke about life than be a negative naysayer!
Life is extremely short
Now what do we do? I think that we should strive to stay outside as much as possible regardless of the weather. Hit the gym as hard as you can in the morning. Slam espressos and get yourself energized. Say hello to strangers and be a friendly neighbor. Brainstorm creative ideas. Strive to create more art each day. Dream big and don’t stop pushing towards goals that seem out of reach!
Virtue
From Middle English vertu, virtue, borrowed from Anglo-Norman vertu, virtu, from Latin virtus (“manliness, bravery, worth, moral excellence”), from vir (“man”). Doublet of vertu. See virile. In this sense, displaced Old English cræft, whence Modern English craft.
- Accordance with moral principles; conformity of behaviour or thought with the strictures of morality; good moral conduct.
- A particular manifestation of moral excellence in a person; an admirable quality.
- Specifically, each of several qualities held to be particularly important, including the four cardinal virtues, the three theological virtues, or the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly sins.
- An inherently advantageous or excellent quality of something or someone; a favourable point, an advantage.
- A creature embodying divine power, specifically one of the orders of heavenly beings, traditionally ranked above angels and below archangels.
- Specifically, moral conduct in sexual behaviour, especially of women; chastity.
- The inherent power of a god, or other supernatural being.
Home gyms are the best
Home gyms are clutch because I can workout multiple times per day. If I stop inside to get some water or use the restroom, I can get a quick pump in and head back out there.
Halteman Family Meats at the Reading Terminal Market
Without the delicious beef from Philadelphia’s local farms in Lancaster, what would I do? I guess you can get beef from other places like Whole Foods, Costco, etc, but the Reading Terminal Market is the go to for Philadelphians. L. Halteman Family Country Foods provides me with my fuel and they have been feeding Philadelphia for over a century. Just go to the back of the terminal and greet the beautiful faces of the Pennsylvania Dutch. You can’t go wrong with anything they sell.
Courage
From Middle English corage, from Old French corage (French courage), from Vulgar Latin *corāticum, from Latin cor (“heart”). Distantly related to cardiac (“of the heart”), which is from Greek, but from the same Proto-Indo-European root. Displaced Middle English elne, ellen, from Old English ellen (“courage, valor”).
- The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate.
- The ability to overcome one’s fear, do or live things which one finds frightening.
- The ability to maintain one’s will or intent despite either the experience of fear, frailty, or frustration; or the occurrence of adversity, difficulty, defeat or reversal. Moral fortitude.
Confidence
From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”).
- Self-assurance.
- A feeling of certainty; firm trust or belief; faith.
- Information held in secret; a piece of information shared but to thence be kept in secret.
- Boldness; presumption.
The Wanamaker Organ – May 18, 2023 @ 5:30pm
A man was arrested today at the Wanamaker Organ in Philadelphia. He apparently attempted to stab a security officer and other men drew guns at the scene. I listen to the organ everyday to commemorate my grandmother who worked in this building. The drugs and violence Philadelphia faces is a sad everyday reality.