I spotted these ladies in the middle of the square today, shooting some scenes with the birds and Megan in a nifty bird mask. They go to the University of the Arts and have to complete scenes for a film assignment. Megan was helping Hannah (right) and Rachel (left), but is in fact focusing on Fine Arts, painting in particular. Creative people always inspire me and the square serves as a wonderful subject, backdrop, or anything in between.
Waking up late and feeling slightly groggy, I knew a stroll through the square would do me some good. I ended up running into a college buddy, Billy, who I met the first day of freshman year, and my day immediately got better. We stayed friends during those four, formative years of school and I have loved watching this brilliant guy grow as a performer with the Mask and Wig Club as well as a visual and literary artist.Here's the skinny: Freshly graduated from Penn, this Creative Writing major can write you an essay, craft some short fiction to shake your soul, and poeticize you into a jellyfish tangle. Direct all inquiries - be they professional or romantic - to Billy Frierson at wgrantf4@gmail.com.Shoutout to Toby (far left), a senior at Drexel who is studying journalism. Can't wait to see you guys in the square soon!
Lexie (left) and Alyssa (right) were deep in conversation when I interrupted to take some pictures. They both have sick, personal style and this instantly inspired me to approach them. We talked about how difficult it is to meet new people and sometimes cliques are hard to penetrate. I gave them suggestions that I use daily for this blog and I'm hoping they're inspired to make new friends during the next beautiful square day.
I have often seen Charlotte bring Charlee to the park in her stroller and finally worked up the nerve to say hello. As Charlotte has an elegant style, it didn't surprise me that Charlee seemed to prefer the luxurious dog stroller to walking on the ground. I learned that Charlee, a poodle, has bad allergies and sometimes loses her hair.
Wayne (left) brings his poodle Casper (left-center) to the square to meet up with his poodle friend, Rudy (right), and his owner, Stuart (right-center). Both dogs were soft and friendly, enjoyed eating Stuart's bread, and were extremely interested in the squirrel that passed behind the bench. Oh, the dog days of fall.
After being turned down by the first two people I approached in the square today, I was slightly discouraged. I'm glad that I persevered however because I ended up meeting two extraordinarily lovely people. Kevin was in a peaceful head space when I approached him, listening to Alexi Murdoch and burning incense. His calm was infectious and his friendly warmth was apparent as so many people who were walking through the square stopped to say hi. We talked about our respective bike accidents, veggie/vegan diets, and how saying my name opens the heart chakra. (smiles)
I met Abi when she came up to Kevin for a light and learned that she lives with him. As I was leaving the square, I saw she had set up a face painting station and I had to stop. Not only is she a talented artist but her stories exemplified courage and resilience. Check out the beautiful artwork that she painted on my cheek below and contact her here if you need a face painter for the next beautiful day.
Not many people wanted to sit on the damp benches today but these three were holding it down by the security booth, serenading a group of people that included some dancing tots. Neil (left) and Tim (center) are a couple of traveling musicians originally from Charlotte, NC. That lovely lady, V (right), just started vocally jamming with them a few minutes before I arrived and the female harmony was definitely a nice complement. You can check out these talented guys on their Facebook page here, and see if they'll be coming to brighten your hood.
The square people I met today had one obvious thing in common: beautiful hair. Blair not only had great style but gorgeous, red hair. Later in the day, I met David who was teaching himself French on his favorite bench in the park. He is hoping to reach a certain level of fluency before studying with another guitarist in Paris next year. I ended up sharing some standard phrases that would get him through a conversation, such as, "Où est le W.C.?" and the French-y, sentence-filler, "Euh..."
The rainy weather kept me inside for most of the day but I was able to take some pictures of a nearly deserted square tonight on my way to the grocery store. Forecast says rainy all week, which is making me slightly regret staying inside yesterday during the beautiful holiday to watch Season 3 of Arrested Development...nah, I don't regret that.
Evan (left) and Indee (right) were sharing the sunset together in the square today. Indee said the balloon was a celebration of yesterday, which I'm hoping was special and bright like that blue star.
Wataru Honda was quite surprised when I asked to take his picture tonight. Despite being slightly camera shy, Wataru told me that he has been in Philly for a good number of months but is very excited to go home to Japan, his hometown being Sendai. ごきげんよう！
Today's meetings were slightly more unexpected than usual, for all parties involved. Lauren and Raven had actually just met earlier in the square when I approached them to take their picture. Both chicks have striking, unconventional features that contrasted with Lauren's square activity today: reading literary classics, the current novel being Lord of the Flies. Raven and I agreed that our coastal spirits encouraged our pleasant rapport, her coast being Florida and mine California.
When Andre complimented the camera around my neck, I responded per usual with a thank you but then found myself in an engaging, extended conversation. Originally from Liberia, Andre went to school in England but surprisingly did not have an accent. He loves living in Philly and gave me some recommendations for good karaoke.
