Summer Is Coming...

I feel home.

Spring has sprung in the Delaware Valley.  Work and life have apparently kept me too busy for blogging.  I considered creating a "We Didn't Start the Fire" montage-like post of all the things I've done in the past month, but that would probably make me procrastinate even longer in returning to my little corner on the Web.

April means baseball season begins, and I happily attended two Phillies games during the first full week of the season: April 12 (a 3-1 win over the Marlins) and April 13 (a 5-2 loss to the Mets).  While the Phillies haven't exactly had a stellar start this year, I absolutely love being a fan of this team.  Walking into the ballpark, everything feels so familiar.  It can be a slow game, but it is exciting and emotional to me.  You need to be invested, because 162 games is a long season and ups and downs are inevitable.  I may not know every statistic backwards and forwards, but I'm proud to say I'm far from a fair-weather fan.

Flyers Fever is gripping the Philadelphia region right now.  Philadelphia natives are born with the right to jump on the bandwagon for at least one of the city's team, and I have chosen the Flyers.  I've always been a casual Eagles fan because of my dad (we used to have Donovan McNabb bobbleheads on either side of our manger at Christmas), and professional basketball has never thrilled me (I went to a Sixer-Magic game last year and wore a Jameer Nelson shirt, because I am first and foremost a Saint Joseph's fan).  Last season, I had the opportunity to attend a few Flyers games, and so I jumped on the Flyers bandwagon.  The NHL playoffs have been really exciting, now that I'm paying attention to them.  Dare I say that I am starting to enjoy watching hockey?

One of the great things that comes with warmer weather is the start of outdoor festivals and concerts.  Last weekend I went to the Manayunk Brewery's 14th Annual Brew Fest.  Even though the end of April was a little cool and drizzly, we still enjoyed the live music and beer tasting on the banks of the Schuylkill River.  Most of the breweries featured were local, including Yards, Sly Fox, Flying Fish, and Victory.  We ended the day with dinner at Cactus, a Tex-Mex restaurant in the heart of Manayunk.  All in all, it was a delicious afternoon.

Now I'm off to relax and watch the Phillies take on the Nationals.  Hunter Pence just hit a two-run homer off of Steven Strasburg (probably because I am wearing my new Pence shirt).  Time to relax before taking on the plans I have on tap for tomorrow.  'Til next time!

P.S. I forgot to mention the new bars and restaurants I tried.  At the end of March, I met with friends at Issac Newton's in Newtown.  Issac's is a cool restaurant with wooden booths and giant chalkboards on the walls proclaiming their vast, rotating draft selection.  It has a really comfortable feel and was perfect for a gathering with good friends.  Before the Phillies-Mets game I attended, I went to Xfinity Live! and had dinner at the Broad St. Bullies pub.  The food was good and we really enjoyed sitting on the patio listening to acoustic music.  The inside of Xfinity Live! was very impressive and I can't wait to go back and catch a game or celebrate a Philly victory.