This weekend, I stopped by a passport business in Old City, Philadelphia, where I got myself fingerprinted for a Peace Corps application. I’ve never had to be fingerprinted for anything before, so this was definitely something new… and expensive. Seriously, $55? Come on. There was no work involved in fingerprinting me. Most of the labor was done by me. I even had to wash my own hands. I was not impressed.

Then, all at once, it hit me. My God, there were so many opportunities out there that I could have taken advantage of, that I will never be able to do, now that I’ve been fingerprinted. My dreams were immediately shattered, as I counted the jobs I’d no longer be able to have, with my identity and fingerprints forever captured on a governmental sheet of paper.

Jewel & Art Thief: Every time I watch some sort of thriller that involves a high profile jewel or art heist, I can’t help but yearn for that sort of life. Planning elaborate robberies involving futuristic electronics, cameras, and laptops. Developing a getaway plan using disguised vehicles or a speed boat. There’d even be some sort of sneaky plot involving the authorities, where I’d pretend I was there friend or something. You know, like Pierce Brosnan in After The Sunset or The Thomas Crown Affair (above).

International Super Spy: Who doesn’t dream of being just like Daniel Craig in the James Bond franchise? The answer… Communists. Seriously, I always felt the slight pang of envy watching any of the 007 movies. The fast cars, the awesome inventions and gadgets (supplied by John friggin Cleese!), and the high tech weapons… awesome.

And yes, the image of an awesome international agent applies only to Daniel Craig’s 007. He kicked ass, the others just talked way too much or didn’t do enough. I’m looking at you, George Lazenby.

Assassin: Now, I’m sure you can be fingerprinted and still be an assassin, there’s no doubt in my mind. You just have to be a GOOD assassin. That is exactly what I wouldn’t be. My former roommates had to deal with me playing Assassin’s Creed until the wee hours of the morning on a semi-daily basis when the game came out, and I spent most of my time assassinating innocent people and guards, running away, and getting myself killed.

So yes, number three on my list… crappy assassin.

Professional Gangster / Mobster: As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster… well, not really, but when you watch a lot of Martin Scorsese movies, you kind of want to be one for about two hours or so. Then they get shot, stabbed, or arrested for various drugs, and you immediately change your mind.

Plus, who wants to end up like Ray Liotta? I’m not talking about his character in the movie, I’m talking about him in general. Did you see In The Name of The King or Smokin’ Aces? I did, and those are four hours of my life I’ll never get back again. So this one makes number four.

Men In Black Agent: I know, you put your fingertips on that giant orb and it burns away your fingerprints. I know. I’m just too big a pansy to do that. That looks like it hurts!

That’s it!

Graduate school is almost over, applications are out for PhD programs and the Peace Corp. Wish me luck! Besides, I’d rather be more like Indiana Jones than James Bond any day.

Today my uncle and aunt surprised me with a lovely visit and breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market, and when they asked me how long I’d been in Philly, I was shocked when I said six months. That’s half a year! Back in junior high, if you were dating someone for six months, you were practically married. And while I’m not necessarily married to this city yet, I’m definitely having one amazing relationship with it.

I moved here for graduate school back in January, terrified about leaving my beloved garden state. I found myself stuck with two strange roommates who burned everything they cooked and ate everything I bought (after burning it). I discovered I was being ripped off for rent and that the neighborhood I lived in wasn’t the best, so I packed up my things and moved out. The semester was taking a toll on me, it was snowy, cold, and I had to walk almost 12 blocks to the train and about a mile to school once I got to Glenside. I considered leaving.

I moved to Rittenhouse Square. It was insanely expensive, but there was a Rita’s near by. Suddenly I lost my New Jersey lingo and start calling Italian Ice “Water Ice”. I still firmly believe that it is Italian Ice, however I don’t want to argue with the Rita’s people anymore. I discovered the overpriced joys of Walnut St and explored Old City. I found historical homes galore, stumbled across sweet side streets with oil burning streetlights, and found my favorite place to write, a cafe called Last Drop.

I landed an awesome job in an office filled with wonderful people, who suddenly made this city feel less lonely. Rather then awkward conversation with my introverted roommate, I was surrounded by people who shared my interests. Music, movies, a passion for mosaics involving video games… things just got better. I had people to go out to get drinks with and at the same time, teach me how to work in a professional environment. I even learned with a 401k was.

I moved into Center City, and found myself living with two wonderful people. Jordan, who is an amazingly talented artist, and Tess, his fun-loving, cursing-while-playing-Mario-Kart-64 girlfriend. We spend all day surrounded by two kittens, a bunny, and a beta fish that gets neglected.

I met some talented writers in the city, some excellent artists, and a handful of bands. I got to hang out with two of my close New Jersey friends, Saray and Tim, who moved to Philadelphia while I was still back home. I spent time with my pal from Kean, Eric Hoover, who up and left this past month (you jerk!), but never-the-less, got to bond with a great friend who I missed out on during my undergrad.

In terms of my creative side, during my time here I went on tour with some awesome bands, Forever The Sickest Kids (Universal / Motown), Farewell (Epitaph), and my BFFs, Upper Class Trash (School Night Records). I starred in a sweet music video for a band called Silverstein. I also finished my novel, which is being edited right now. I’ve already started on a second one.

My dream girl and I took the leap and decided to make what we have work. And it’s working. Living in a city with an endless amount of things to do definitely makes it easier when she comes down for weekend visits too.

I also have an XBox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. This doesn’t seem like such a big deal for some, but for someone who grew up collecting aluminum cans around his neighborhood so he could save up and buy crappy budget title SNES games, being able to own such small luxuries is a HUGE deal.

With a year of graduate school finished, a tour, a music video, an amazing girlfriend, a sweet living situation, a fun job, a bunny, two kittens, a beta fish, video games, awesome friends from home and new ones from here, I’m loving this city that has become my home.

Here’s to six more months.

So I’ve been working this amazing job for the past few months and realized that my cubicle was positively barren. For those of you who know me well, you know that simply isn’t me. So after looking around, I decided to do something about it.

I mean look at this place! Does it look like Eric Smith works here?

Hmph! Certainly not! The only decor in this photo is a disshelved looking green apple (it’s not even round, it’s almost potato shaped, wtf Trader Joes) and a list of emails next to my lappy. It’s time… for change.

*cue triumphant sounding music*

Two very important things. My bunny and the girl I adore. Aw. There’s also the kitten who likes to walk on my face while I sleep.

OMG! Space Invader!!! Made up entirely of Post It Notes! SKILLS!

Also note the framed robot prints. I’d like to thank the ever talented Anthony Clark for those. If you haven’t heard of this guy, do check out his website at Nedriod.com and his blog, Nedroid Comics @ Livejournal, where he makes daily updates. Dinosaur Warlock is currently my favorite thing. Ever.

What will I be up to this week and all weekend?

Reading: Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion by Jane Austen, all in that order, during the next six weeks. My head hurts a little. The joys of graduate school.

Listening: Socratic - Just Turn. Self Against City - Telling Secrets to Strangers. Boys Like Girls - Self Titled.

Watching: Pan’s Labyrinth. A hundred times.

And counting the weeks to being on tour.

Be warned, the following images may shock and confuse you.

As you may or may not have already heard, I managed to score a pretty sweet full time job here in Philadelphia as an editor.

And unlike my photography / portfolio blog, I get a salary, benefits, vacation days, and a cute little cubicle.

Outside of my building is a strange looking sculpture. There is a plaque that details what it is, however I’ve decided to ignore it and just pretend it’s something else everyday. Today, it was a toothbrush dipping into some multicolored toothpaste. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. It’s crazy!

My office is on the 17th floor. OMG! This also reminds me of the cover of Just Surrender’s awesome full length CD, designed by my friend Mickey. What an awesome album.

Lettering on the way inside the building. I got some amazing strange looks as I tried to take a photo of it while balancing my latte and bagel in one hand, and camera in the other. Skills.

The view from my cubicle. And yeah, I drink lattes. I’m sure Helen will make fun of me for this later on.

One of the first things I learned here, is that the area where I’m sitting used to be a conference room that people referred to as “the morgue”, due to how cold it was, and the coffin like file cabinets. Also, they used to store dead bodies in here. Hahah, just kidding. There were no file cabinets.

Right now it’s just me at my little desk, with lots of empty desks all around. I hope it fills up so I can have people to shoot paperclips at.

Yep. Here I am. Note the dress shirt, purchased from Hot Topic.

For some reason, I get a barrage of questions pertaining to my photography, my writing, and my education. So let me lay down the facts real quick with this simple FAQ.

Q: OMG! What about grad school Eric?!?
A: I’m still doing that full time. Working 40 hours a week and taking three grad courses. I also plan on taking two summer classes. I’m not slowing down for any reason, and I’ll be finished with my masters degree in May of 2008.

Q: OMGGG! But what about your writing?
A: I work until 5pm. That means I have all night, and weekends, to work on my novel.

Q: BUT OMGGG!!!1! What about your photography?!?1?
A: I get an insane amount of paid vacation days. I’ll be heading out on tour with some huge bands and great friends during the summer. I’m also doing some live concert photography for a local print magazine here in Philadelphia called Origivation. Check them out.

I’m in the real world now baby.

And it’s pretty sweet.