Phoenix Metblogs » pho_charles

Low Temperatures

pho_charles — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 15:05:50 +0000

The nightlyl low temperatures are finally cooler than my air conditioning setting! This is very exciting. Fall is on its way….

ASU Gives

pho_charles — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:41:08 +0000

This Saturday’s ASU/LSU football match-up, moved to Sun Devil Stadium after the hurricane, is now (per Michael Crow’s request) a Hurrican Relief fundraiser!

Full information on the game and donation here.

Priorities

pho_charles — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 19:10:20 +0000

It sort of bums me out that more stuff is closed in Arizona on Labor Day than on Martin Luther King Day.

Maryoke

pho_charles — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 13:06:36 +0000

Last night we celebrated a friend’s departure from town with

Nature

pho_charles — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 20:53:05 +0000

The events in the Gulf are making me feel so grateful that we live in an area without natural disasters. All we really have to put up with

Good Eats for Budget-Types

pho_charles — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:41:01 +0000

Although I know there is no shortage of delicious, “authentic” food in Phoenix, I have to admit that my two favorite restaurants are chains. I like to keep to a budget and the presence of a server typically raises a dinner bill by $3-5, so I prefer to go to places without a tip expectation.

That said, my two favorite Valley eateries (without servers) are Pei Wei and Chipotle. At both places you can watch your food be cooked and prepared, which is comforting for faster food, and the people working there are always friendly and helpful. The price is great for the portions you get and I never leave feeling hungry…or disappointed.

A Moment of Silence Before the Silence is Ruptured

pho_charles — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 14:31:58 +0000

One thing I have always loved about living in Tempe is that it turns into a virtual ghost town from May until mid-August. The streets empty themselves of traffic and pedestrians, Mill Avenue doesn’t look like Mardi Gras, and you can get into a movie five minutes before it starts without having to wait in line.

And then, a few days from now, 50,000 ~~locusts~~ students will swarm the area in a five-mile radius.

Right now it’s like my little town that nobody knows about. I love running errands, grocery shopping, etc. while nobody’s here. But the minute students get back….life becomes unbearably complicated and overpopulated.

Maybe I should consider finding a winter home somewhere else in the Valley.

First Friday

pho_charles — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:00:25 +0000

I ran over to First Friday last night to drop off some materials from my job at Writer’s Bloc. Writer’s block is located down 6th Steet from Roosevelt, just past the Kitchenette, and it is a beautiful space. The home has been beautifully renovated. I love that bungalo-style architecture so common in that area of Phoenix. Feels really cozy.

I could see the storm making its way toward the city

Misery & Company

pho_charles — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 14:19:58 +0000

I have to be honest about something: the weather lately is so miserable that I haven’t wanted to do anything for quite a while. Unless it involves an air-conditioned movie theater or my house, I’m probably not up for it.

It’s a lot like winter back in MInnesota. I mean, there you just can’t really do anything. This humidity is killing me

Storm of the Century Week

pho_charles — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 14:31:14 +0000

Because I grew up in the Midwest, severe weather to me has almost always included the threat of tornadoes. I am more afraid of tornadoes than any other natural disaster, and inexplicably so: I’ve never actually seen one (mostly because I was always cowering in my family’s basement).

Needless to say, when the wind whipped itself to a shrill howl last night, I was a little on edge. I could see the lime tree outside my house bending nearly all the way over. For a few moments, I could have sworn I heard the crackle of a downed power line.

Jogging through my neighborhood this morning, I saw a huge tree split in half and another one uprooted.

Anyone else in town have the same sound-&-light show last night?