tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54210254778101055092024-02-21T11:31:53.217-05:00Everything Better PittsburghUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-65103725441698305742013-06-30T21:56:00.002-04:002013-06-30T21:56:23.638-04:00RIP PIG - 6/30/13Guys. I am sad.<br />
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This is the first setback I've had to experience in my 30s. The trade of Tyler Kennedy to the Sharks is upsetting - for me - and maybe only me. I don't know when I came to love Tyler Kennedy so much, but it happened. I've become proud, in a way, that my love of Tyler Kennedy has made the whole "Pig" thing kind of a thing! When I'm at the Consol and Kennedy scores, it's kind of crazy how many people turn and shout "PIGGGGY" at me.<br />
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I am kind of devastated! But, I'm trying to rationalize this whole trade. He's at least in the West, so I don't have to deal with it in a conflicted way as much as if he were int he East. And, he didn't end up in the Pens' division. Even better, he didn't end up on the Bruins. That would have been unbearable.<br />
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It still sucks, but all good things come to and end. To send him across country to the west, here are are some great Piggy moments to remember.<br />
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Sigh. I'm sad to see him go. Good luck in San Jose, TK.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-74956520078682631902013-06-28T20:44:00.000-04:002013-06-28T20:44:17.051-04:00Canada Road Trip: Underground in DiefenbunkerBefore we returned to actual civilization, we headed underground. But, considering we were going to Diefenbunker, it was like a reintroduction to civilization in the event of the Cold War. Diefenbunker was built by a guy named Diefenbaker. He was the Prime Minister of Canada during the Cold War. The bunker was built to protect the Canadian government from a nuclear attack. It's now a museum detailing the Cold War and Canada's involvement. (Totally normal summer vacation activity.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ITGclVEAQzB2JPCipU2S_kQ9SXQ0NHS0ZBk-utowbf59XB5df007gyiFjXaaE9VytVjPRgREuS_D97jZPA5D95L_Ztzy_HqR9aQcrx5hY4NshJDMIwD-VbBsjYH0gTn3wj9DrIL4sg/s1600/IMG_20130620_151749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ITGclVEAQzB2JPCipU2S_kQ9SXQ0NHS0ZBk-utowbf59XB5df007gyiFjXaaE9VytVjPRgREuS_D97jZPA5D95L_Ztzy_HqR9aQcrx5hY4NshJDMIwD-VbBsjYH0gTn3wj9DrIL4sg/s400/IMG_20130620_151749.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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To enter the bunker, we walked down a very long, cold tunnel. This is the tunnel is THE TUNNEL that would protect some good Canadians from nuclear bad stuff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEWn21zL9cAfD_Gjzdgg9J5ImQhynFdoWyYmoT6EeS4rlCYZdUqfsslmcNyLOzdrlkcLRRZ6WF45RsKB1PUZcYBg99IhyB4aJIjnSFXyjD8RHk7EYtbMpt5diU2xcd90HrGk37001zg/s1600/IMG_20130620_134816_985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwEWn21zL9cAfD_Gjzdgg9J5ImQhynFdoWyYmoT6EeS4rlCYZdUqfsslmcNyLOzdrlkcLRRZ6WF45RsKB1PUZcYBg99IhyB4aJIjnSFXyjD8RHk7EYtbMpt5diU2xcd90HrGk37001zg/s640/IMG_20130620_134816_985.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Many of the rooms were set up as they were during the time the bunker was operational. There was never an attack, so it was never used for its original purpose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX4wIpHiD6Qg0fdvP8x-OcbFxL08fFB4gB5iy41WK35wtRIcp4K0YVA5hQzEP1TyiTGhPOIbwwiTaIVYub2htZu-1dFF5U0VPFqE2JLb9JlNskt4vf_rx5RfxmZ0yvLhzAz0z-fkuRw/s1600/IMG_20130620_130010_246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX4wIpHiD6Qg0fdvP8x-OcbFxL08fFB4gB5iy41WK35wtRIcp4K0YVA5hQzEP1TyiTGhPOIbwwiTaIVYub2htZu-1dFF5U0VPFqE2JLb9JlNskt4vf_rx5RfxmZ0yvLhzAz0z-fkuRw/s640/IMG_20130620_130010_246.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Other rooms were set up as a museum to the Cold War.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8jl1gpRcLMS30HcytJ35ThfSiS2rtgDOKom9VpwRY1SzeLnXpgE2PAX-NkhW6aMW-a3BdX3epKhLtJSHDGqhMC_V_c4LLaA9M1nQz_kWSD3PexS6dWhjuVto-suRnL3MsTUt1jvzZg/s1600/IMG_20130620_132231_332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8jl1gpRcLMS30HcytJ35ThfSiS2rtgDOKom9VpwRY1SzeLnXpgE2PAX-NkhW6aMW-a3BdX3epKhLtJSHDGqhMC_V_c4LLaA9M1nQz_kWSD3PexS6dWhjuVto-suRnL3MsTUt1jvzZg/s640/IMG_20130620_132231_332.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm giving credit where credit is due. Rob is the one who said, regarding the poster above, "This is what Winnipeg is now." (But maybe it's gotten better! The Jets are back!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpdiKpefBx5k7d41EOQbj2GHw-Nry5imw6BqOC0wxvMbNca9gHYfzfuGUAEFnNvnjR38_2x_n8IXxFDNL-Juy5JVa_7oVo63kft0I88XiGN7ugi0RiqDXYx2nLsyTd4MmJLQ0Sj7lbg/s1600/IMG_20130620_135201_436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpdiKpefBx5k7d41EOQbj2GHw-Nry5imw6BqOC0wxvMbNca9gHYfzfuGUAEFnNvnjR38_2x_n8IXxFDNL-Juy5JVa_7oVo63kft0I88XiGN7ugi0RiqDXYx2nLsyTd4MmJLQ0Sj7lbg/s640/IMG_20130620_135201_436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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TECHNOLOGY</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIMMGaFqk2R92S9jk0cIoNLaYJ3UqNQ4L_uqCViDhbpzBzyrAlcPFe5ZIQS0Qokh6gAq6lWprufSTo_D9DSE14UDh3hG1UoG-3zAvgnMxZ-9fLNncb1AFK4zMPvcLgwaW7GHVmsCypg/s1600/IMG_20130620_152201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIMMGaFqk2R92S9jk0cIoNLaYJ3UqNQ4L_uqCViDhbpzBzyrAlcPFe5ZIQS0Qokh6gAq6lWprufSTo_D9DSE14UDh3hG1UoG-3zAvgnMxZ-9fLNncb1AFK4zMPvcLgwaW7GHVmsCypg/s400/IMG_20130620_152201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Keeping Canada safe!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIZYIOU7PVdIhhZPBPQUPmXkhreOlsQfwi_kiC-9LF6XAfrj7gph1PrMoRx8tbrWO_Fww_0_QbJJY6j5oify4jOh98hmOhNRnEm16OrcZNOJVtDGe-HRLclFPkDhjurxzgUj7gy-31g/s1600/IMG_20130620_152255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIZYIOU7PVdIhhZPBPQUPmXkhreOlsQfwi_kiC-9LF6XAfrj7gph1PrMoRx8tbrWO_Fww_0_QbJJY6j5oify4jOh98hmOhNRnEm16OrcZNOJVtDGe-HRLclFPkDhjurxzgUj7gy-31g/s400/IMG_20130620_152255.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rob sat at the Prime Minister's desk. We aren't really sure if he was allowed.</div>
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Here is PGH-related content! Looks like the Northside is safe from a nuclear attack. The rest of the city? Including me sitting here in the East End? We're in trouble. (If for some reason someone drops a nuclear bomb on Washington, PA.)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-80992564572559132192013-06-27T19:52:00.002-04:002013-06-27T21:17:16.721-04:00Canada Road Trip: The Pig's Town and Bug HellWhen we left Sudbury, the sun was going down. It didn't take too long before we were driving through complete darkness again. Even during the day, these drives were extremely monotonous. At night, it was hard to tell if you were actually moving or maybe just standing still in the middle of the road. Worried we would run out of gas before hitting Sault Ste. Marie, we stopped at a "trading post," which is what you get when you're no longer on the main highway. (That's a good indicator of how insignificant these towns were that we were visiting - we were relegated to secondary roads.) During our brief chat with the Canucks hat-wearing cashier, we learned that things like moose, bears and wolves crossed the road all willy-nilly round those parts. Which pretty much terrified me right before I was to take over driving duties.<br />
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But, we made it to our hotel in Sault Ste. Marie in one piece. But, sadly, it was a bit too late to go gallivanting around town. See, the reason we were in Sault Ste. Marie was to see if we could see Tyler Kennedy, aka Piggy.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GWlOo6TeQaec5g8Qd0x2IcCAnVBzCT-WYVXTZFnk1dg88jLjDY3auUb9vrqz142a_0RZd1z_OUubyOKGytTiazOCjnAOukVE3r-0ZXDzvakg9O2XEhF9QX8VTNm-eb9MJ6ZPbm9wLA/s1600/IMG_20130619_110101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5GWlOo6TeQaec5g8Qd0x2IcCAnVBzCT-WYVXTZFnk1dg88jLjDY3auUb9vrqz142a_0RZd1z_OUubyOKGytTiazOCjnAOukVE3r-0ZXDzvakg9O2XEhF9QX8VTNm-eb9MJ6ZPbm9wLA/s400/IMG_20130619_110101.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TK - if you ever see this, I do truly enjoy you and cheer for you in earnest.</td></tr>
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Okay. I'll admit to this only being my reason. Rob is just a good friend who goes along with my crazy sometimes. Our plan was to each wear TK t-shirts to a bar. Then magically TK would appear. But, by the time we pulled into the parking lot, I wasn't even willing to muster the energy to go out, even for some pig hunting.<br />
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Skip ahead to 1:10 to watch what made me choose Tyler Kennedy as my favorite Penguin. Adorable.</div>
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The next morning though, we did both don those Kennedy t-shirts and set out like a couple of real weirdos to explore a charming little stretch in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. After wandering for way too many blocks, I was starting to get hungry-cranky again. We passed the town's mall, and being that it had both an ATM and a Tim Horton's, we made our way inside. Apparently we were late to the party, because I think maybe all people from all of Sault Ste. Marie were already there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tcoqi9_5BK8UlRa6-marttIV6SHojM8V6K9bPkt5PHdpWTIAkN0Yb0jrm6vvIi01zsIKzazSKi5MqalaVTtcK1D5OLPH2IBpVr0VBuayg8YJ-VGTUJAWQq_S6zOlUYJeHWAEVGbTVg/s1600/IMG_20130618_115930_015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tcoqi9_5BK8UlRa6-marttIV6SHojM8V6K9bPkt5PHdpWTIAkN0Yb0jrm6vvIi01zsIKzazSKi5MqalaVTtcK1D5OLPH2IBpVr0VBuayg8YJ-VGTUJAWQq_S6zOlUYJeHWAEVGbTVg/s640/IMG_20130618_115930_015.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I propose a change to this! Take out "naturally gifted"; sub in "where it's really nice."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG-i4C6ijf22JbAc8Ir1ra3x-EMKiMORNWk9ZhQB7ta1bvnbVvRcoVCxWBcKOOvubkgakZb5Tw-HRLkt0e8z45IqdLSw1cf4mrxKp_EAYCvJ55OashmAbIFtc0wsXXbApUXhFjdXikw/s1600/IMG_20130618_114438_167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG-i4C6ijf22JbAc8Ir1ra3x-EMKiMORNWk9ZhQB7ta1bvnbVvRcoVCxWBcKOOvubkgakZb5Tw-HRLkt0e8z45IqdLSw1cf4mrxKp_EAYCvJ55OashmAbIFtc0wsXXbApUXhFjdXikw/s640/IMG_20130618_114438_167.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a large table.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY6siSzzxYKx_3N-f8LbiuTSljEmtuTrdOWa82ekWCVzruGnXsTa-9mmyDUchoqOaJwbAD7-rpdVgqC3Cgv-D0ix6scCYfYOKYwv8so2ueHkdP1fSnCM_DJqVGtKeIdBUyKKeSheVGA/s1600/IMG_20130618_114550_440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEY6siSzzxYKx_3N-f8LbiuTSljEmtuTrdOWa82ekWCVzruGnXsTa-9mmyDUchoqOaJwbAD7-rpdVgqC3Cgv-D0ix6scCYfYOKYwv8so2ueHkdP1fSnCM_DJqVGtKeIdBUyKKeSheVGA/s640/IMG_20130618_114550_440.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So we sat at it and drank our Tim Horton's.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKSRuYr1qWybloT8q_7nNo3grQvDJaaaHYSLD5-wGVh-GXcCZg5ezH1pmpO6d4sZKWxXc2LLNPVZj2ZSKLzSkDco9oo0_R_VbL6DKhV50LiobOmLp-MGS8O9Dl7-IgR2Koll4SW3WGA/s1600/IMG_20130618_120614_437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKSRuYr1qWybloT8q_7nNo3grQvDJaaaHYSLD5-wGVh-GXcCZg5ezH1pmpO6d4sZKWxXc2LLNPVZj2ZSKLzSkDco9oo0_R_VbL6DKhV50LiobOmLp-MGS8O9Dl7-IgR2Koll4SW3WGA/s640/IMG_20130618_120614_437.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, America! (Our phones actually worked in Sault Ste. Marie cause we were so so close!)</td></tr>
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We drove away from Sault Ste. Marie, where it's really nice, a little farther north, to Lake Ivanhoe, where we'd be camping that night. I love camping. I love sleeping in a tent. I love campfires. I love camp food. I like getting a little dirty and waking up with the sun. Rob...not so much. He was a real trooper though, especially when we learned that camping right next to a lake in northern Ontario would not be the most pleasant experience. There were more mosquitoes out than I have ever encountered. We had to retreat inside the tent well before the sun went down, because even with the fire and two citronella candles going, as well as bug spray reapplied an unhealthy number of times, we were getting attacked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6HHmUM2zmOqg6Kls6kXHGkKPzVjrxPrxer-jtjseugG2zzCvdzciw6YW0VZ_xYQ1EnFhyBRRLogjJsE4Awz3IijIqoEfSYhEPmafi6MftzRo_wM-nh3QG-RMn3AqP_3JyxGtqdTKnw/s1600/IMG_20130619_110227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6HHmUM2zmOqg6Kls6kXHGkKPzVjrxPrxer-jtjseugG2zzCvdzciw6YW0VZ_xYQ1EnFhyBRRLogjJsE4Awz3IijIqoEfSYhEPmafi6MftzRo_wM-nh3QG-RMn3AqP_3JyxGtqdTKnw/s400/IMG_20130619_110227.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the trading posts we stopped into felt quite like home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_XbupvDxCRAqy76ih1ufih26DPr7J6Zsm_7-PR4_unZw7qd-8lMxL4csv-t4_Cu84Xjhu2W7MqMEUvx_6RV3FMPJBV6fmdZXn5DMvQqnuZw4xwGOMzGNTqIVN4HFbru3OoL8Dndyuw/s1600/IMG_20130618_131113_497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_XbupvDxCRAqy76ih1ufih26DPr7J6Zsm_7-PR4_unZw7qd-8lMxL4csv-t4_Cu84Xjhu2W7MqMEUvx_6RV3FMPJBV6fmdZXn5DMvQqnuZw4xwGOMzGNTqIVN4HFbru3OoL8Dndyuw/s640/IMG_20130618_131113_497.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is like Final Destination: Canada...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeZ-r_JZA72bSGrvtp3Hao6oNBca7-2m-MOZa9xqylQ96Cs_pZi4EDdq86m_EpHqBBOILZg1HqpQ3byJ9ciAWUv7SPl-hKFLfyOW9lDnCApYP0B1czgsZ15m_6-R20lWSlrUUocGsvg/s1600/IMG_20130618_201107_758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeZ-r_JZA72bSGrvtp3Hao6oNBca7-2m-MOZa9xqylQ96Cs_pZi4EDdq86m_EpHqBBOILZg1HqpQ3byJ9ciAWUv7SPl-hKFLfyOW9lDnCApYP0B1czgsZ15m_6-R20lWSlrUUocGsvg/s640/IMG_20130618_201107_758.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is Rob, in his "bug hell" attire, at Lake Ivanhoe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxFVabuc1cEJTbC3Ar-aer4Pghr5J1Bv3m4zcrKVge7MR-FPGXUz_oaOpTI605etqKaCUpZdMxO4zOThT5DGCRH5ERBoObqieoPgkYVjv0RV_BI8LnWMfpb8AR9Lg7z183TtO9vilag/s1600/IMG_20130618_194511_089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxFVabuc1cEJTbC3Ar-aer4Pghr5J1Bv3m4zcrKVge7MR-FPGXUz_oaOpTI605etqKaCUpZdMxO4zOThT5DGCRH5ERBoObqieoPgkYVjv0RV_BI8LnWMfpb8AR9Lg7z183TtO9vilag/s640/IMG_20130618_194511_089.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled cheese for dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kJVcGUsQhevhw8ApanxAM6oayIwpWgtKD1xto2nFrU2LttRHHvnuD0SP8Fi14dZf3KETscYX4NWMbQ0DpgzvXkwythCSJw3Lbi__YY9l1cfwrMzMZ8ZfgR14a9RCdTuh_rGSsJpqKw/s1600/IMG_20130618_211932_192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kJVcGUsQhevhw8ApanxAM6oayIwpWgtKD1xto2nFrU2LttRHHvnuD0SP8Fi14dZf3KETscYX4NWMbQ0DpgzvXkwythCSJw3Lbi__YY9l1cfwrMzMZ8ZfgR14a9RCdTuh_rGSsJpqKw/s640/IMG_20130618_211932_192.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful, but also buggy as hell.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCfHFJYMCLV5__6ENDalPcvGFYnqUAaRgndhBaXJjnnSygsc1IkKDsLgqS7oRh0HLa-_go9H2PP_4AqOGxj-XiOHi_jNh4f81jZqEjKQjtzfQstv-fq6hxg-73KcavjKYO822kBBjnA/s1600/IMG_20130618_212614_620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCfHFJYMCLV5__6ENDalPcvGFYnqUAaRgndhBaXJjnnSygsc1IkKDsLgqS7oRh0HLa-_go9H2PP_4AqOGxj-XiOHi_jNh4f81jZqEjKQjtzfQstv-fq6hxg-73KcavjKYO822kBBjnA/s640/IMG_20130618_212614_620.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why I love camping with Rob. Last year it was the Spaghetti Man dance, this year it was roasting two marshmallows on a candy stick. </td></tr>
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I woke up near 5:30 the next morning and forced Rob awake so we could escape bug hell. Our drive the next day was the opposite of exciting. We stopped in Timmins - Home of Shania Twain! - but mostly drove through (our only reason to be there was for only for coffee, donuts, free wifi, and gas - which would become a semi-ritual on this trip). We didn't bother stopping in Swastika, we just took pictures of the sign from the car. We found the World's Largest Hockey Puck. We set up camp at Algonquin Provincial Park, which had way fewer bugs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrHY19dl9LvisRQp8is2YhShTvDdg1PUPMdkjttpvNBr48nqdphUYXM4O3TKa8YtzOrF93ojS2ciMDAG86OOP6hV_pTAwedPK3VcpBeaOudYG0Y0P_zE40-28NjHwXSPJqYQQVXZzSw/s1600/IMG_20130619_102948_825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrHY19dl9LvisRQp8is2YhShTvDdg1PUPMdkjttpvNBr48nqdphUYXM4O3TKa8YtzOrF93ojS2ciMDAG86OOP6hV_pTAwedPK3VcpBeaOudYG0Y0P_zE40-28NjHwXSPJqYQQVXZzSw/s640/IMG_20130619_102948_825.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rough name, 'lil northern Canadian town.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfoHiBs2mXn5B5OeDdX3tJuWTpQ207YjNCsUqBWfSQhEtdPz4MZAMrqKn85r94daSJqDBC0TK4c67vtDrvPutb4oj41XO_uc2J2Gb5YcEdyMjVBFYXmEPCXCaLkDG8gz_z9MptgpAQ/s1600/IMG_20130619_105754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfoHiBs2mXn5B5OeDdX3tJuWTpQ207YjNCsUqBWfSQhEtdPz4MZAMrqKn85r94daSJqDBC0TK4c67vtDrvPutb4oj41XO_uc2J2Gb5YcEdyMjVBFYXmEPCXCaLkDG8gz_z9MptgpAQ/s400/IMG_20130619_105754.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We cannot be sure this is the world's largest, because it was quite underwhelming. The nickel was like four times this size.</td></tr>
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We had another night of camping ahead, before it was back to civilization, onward to Ottawa.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-19495728301841167212013-06-25T22:23:00.001-04:002013-06-25T22:23:55.506-04:00Canada Road Trip: Turning 30 On the Road and into OntarioThe sojourn into Ontario was partly (mostly) in celebration of my 30th birthday. This trip had several itineraries in its planning stages. We went from biking <i>throughout </i>Europe to biking through, like, Luxembourg and Belgium because - guess what! - Europe is bigger than you think. Then we were going to bike to Ontario, via some trail I found on the internet one day. We could never work out the logistics of how we would get started from somewhere other than Pittsburgh or how we would get the bikes home without having to track back.<br />
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Finally we decided a road trip was in order. And through Canada is where we make the best road trips. See, we have been up there in the north for road trips before. After crossing Canada by train in the summer of 2008, Rob and I have made several trips up there to drive around. Idiotically, they've mostly been during the winter. You know what it does in Canada in the winter? It snows. We did our first winter trip to the Maritimes - starting in Halifax, driving to Moncton and St. John's during the day, and then continuing the trip with a basically death-defying nighttime drive to Prince Edward Island. We honestly sat there in the car, listening to the last songs we would want to listen to ever, because we were both really uncertain if we could get to our hotel safely. We've done a winter trip to Newfoundland, because that's really intelligent. Then we took some spring trips. Like starting in Winnipeg (I sincerely hope the return of the Jets has helped the denizens of that city get back to something slightly less zombie-like) and driving through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - three states our waiter at my birthday steak dinner referred to as "The Gap."<br />
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I'm getting off topic. And anyone who came here to read about Pittsburgh is probably seriously confused.<br />
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Basically, I celebrated by 30th birthday by going to some places in Canada I have never been before. Sure, there also were normal and previously visited places places - Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls. But that was the back end of the trip. Our first couple days? Small towns with absolutely ridiculous reasons to stop in them.<br />
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But, of important note, this drive straight north started directly at the end of the Japandroids show at Mr. Smalls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjtNdpE1s_ANmd7YCP-DSepxlYSRWmmKgePADD8aK10vBXFLQG5Yv3OUsU9JjaaR2ZR_qN3o8kxzaGqINlPbUis4bqY-wSeNVpupmj7hCy6KPzsWY7hH6WubmiJsSpkMDAXAYom2_1A/s1600/IMG_20130616_223516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjtNdpE1s_ANmd7YCP-DSepxlYSRWmmKgePADD8aK10vBXFLQG5Yv3OUsU9JjaaR2ZR_qN3o8kxzaGqINlPbUis4bqY-wSeNVpupmj7hCy6KPzsWY7hH6WubmiJsSpkMDAXAYom2_1A/s400/IMG_20130616_223516.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm Brian. That's David.</td></tr>
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These guys. No better way to start the beginning of my birthday celebration than watching these nice Canadians be loud and fun and awesome. At the end of the show, we jumped in the car and were off. I was two hours from thirty.<br />
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By the time we got to our Howard Johnson's room in Hamilton, Ontario [please go back and reread that for full effect], I had been in my thirties for three and a half hours. When we pulled up to our classy lodgings for the night, we noticed it was attached to a Yuk Yuks as well as a Hooters. Happy Birthday to Me!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiDgSwemdw-lYkLLiPAxGy02bxjEOxm2_HZDbTYavZBetS-nDYhxuHCSizcsSSvop6XvtveaJvVBUFtM9d_47CUs2awNW96vZx5PMMuUaHneAN_1Isbc5ZbziPOa4heKt7JWChAJSDg/s1600/IMG_20130617_100827_432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiDgSwemdw-lYkLLiPAxGy02bxjEOxm2_HZDbTYavZBetS-nDYhxuHCSizcsSSvop6XvtveaJvVBUFtM9d_47CUs2awNW96vZx5PMMuUaHneAN_1Isbc5ZbziPOa4heKt7JWChAJSDg/s640/IMG_20130617_100827_432.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click for a closer look. It's Hamilton, Ontario!</td></tr>
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We slept a few hours, and then it was quickly to the ORIGINAL Tim Horton's, where I had my birthday donuts. I have been to this Tim Horton's location every year for the past three years. There is seriously something wrong with me. Then a day of driving hell began. From Hamilton we drove to Owen Sound, where my objective was to obtain an Owen Sound Attack t-shirt. (Owen is one of my favorite musicians, so this was a legit thing I needed to have.) We bought the shirt, stuck our hand in Lake Huron, and then got back on the road. We stopped off for gas in Peary Sound and stretched our legs walking up a pier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqa_d_iT88yLxkLwH_MBkmkNSJW5Rq4BY1wfZaVn8zlno9nF_Zsx023CtbgvokweiHwgjfgdlZAOdlp6JfFFq6mFUEwrLT20m4RgQp7o0RVSp5lFxuM-uHzov95cjWh3MKiMQDcttDA/s1600/IMG_20130617_103941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqa_d_iT88yLxkLwH_MBkmkNSJW5Rq4BY1wfZaVn8zlno9nF_Zsx023CtbgvokweiHwgjfgdlZAOdlp6JfFFq6mFUEwrLT20m4RgQp7o0RVSp5lFxuM-uHzov95cjWh3MKiMQDcttDA/s400/IMG_20130617_103941.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was supposed to be six donuts with five candles in each, but this did me perfectly fine after a long night of driving.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First dino sighting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCtDf2dVDr6PHi4cRcBFdoMFo60FAp-99jAiDPAKyhh4FAngeuJaN3EGzRH2OLd1n6yzdPPDVSEi0YPdGh1mEOz3L984Kshokmf2IjO3jHnVQPgT4Kx-Bu0Q3UkPZIxyYxYDb5NrbHQ/s1600/IMG_20130618_015318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCtDf2dVDr6PHi4cRcBFdoMFo60FAp-99jAiDPAKyhh4FAngeuJaN3EGzRH2OLd1n6yzdPPDVSEi0YPdGh1mEOz3L984Kshokmf2IjO3jHnVQPgT4Kx-Bu0Q3UkPZIxyYxYDb5NrbHQ/s400/IMG_20130618_015318.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canada is such a darling place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new plan? Buy a summer place in Parry Sound.</td></tr>
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I have a tradition of having a good steak dinner on my birthday. We got to Sudbury, and we couldn't find the steak place we'd looked up online. When I get hungry, I get cranky and impatient. So I made Rob pull into a Super 8, where we went and asked the lady working the front desk about it. She basically told us we were making a mistake for going there for a steak dinner, and she pointed us in the direction of a place called The Keg.<br />
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Well, thank you Claire from Super 8 in Sudbury, because this meal was a major highlight of the week. We had the most earnest and happy waiter named Mark, who I think was pretty dumbfounded by our trip. When he learned we had driven there from Pittsburgh, his reaction was "Jesus, what the hell are you doing here?" The steak was good, there was beer, and they gave us free cake, which was actually ice cream in the shape of cake.<br />
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Mark's first question to us when he learned we were in Sudbury as "tourists" was, "Have you seen the nickel?!" Seriously. Question mark <i style="font-weight: bold;">and</i> exclamation point. We hadn't yet, but it was on our list of things to do in Sudbury. (1. Eat steak; 2. See the World's Largest Nickel.) We got there just as the sun was going down. The sunset looks lovely, which apparently it does every night in Sudbury, because there is so much pollution released into the air by nearby factories!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead bugs/beautiful sunset.</td></tr>
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Oh, and there was a dinosaur at the nickel, which, brought the total count of dinosaur sightings on my 30th birthday tally to two.<br />
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From the nickel it was onward to our next accommodations ..in Sault Ste. Marie. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-75871987163379861372013-06-23T19:34:00.001-04:002013-06-23T19:34:25.224-04:00Home Is Where My Heart Is, And That's Always Pittsburgh<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7OX52QxDhYx8-n6JVMfPrHQsRatOAuWE3_V0K3Sclf9X0FdvzpNY1jvvACqdblx45fuuxxeiJcmOhtUjY4sSfZbyZo5aLVXLVW60q2Y_D33AK4C8MvfVJQuyDXb4vjKiyKwGqdZzEQ/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-06-23+at+7.09.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7OX52QxDhYx8-n6JVMfPrHQsRatOAuWE3_V0K3Sclf9X0FdvzpNY1jvvACqdblx45fuuxxeiJcmOhtUjY4sSfZbyZo5aLVXLVW60q2Y_D33AK4C8MvfVJQuyDXb4vjKiyKwGqdZzEQ/s640/Screen+shot+2013-06-23+at+7.09.07+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The week's worth of travels now behind me.</td></tr>
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This morning I woke up in Canada.<br />
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I fiddled with my seventh different shower set-up in seven days, striving to strike the right balance between scalding hot water and chilling ice water. After twenty minutes, I had to give up and just get in and get out regardless of comfort level. I've never ever missed my own shower before like I did this morning. I also missed my own bed. And my cats. And my bike. And Pittsburgh, of course.<br />
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The past seven days were completely awesome. We spent them driving throughout Ontario, going to familiar places, new places, and places that even the Canadians we met didn't understand why we went to them. (Upon learning we had driven to Sudbury from Pittsburgh, our waiter at our fancy steak dinner - Mark - said, "Jesus, what the hell are you doing here?") I've been in towns this week with populations under 6,500 people. I slept next to a mosquito-infested lake in the literal middle-of-nowhere. I ingested so much Tim Hortons. Not only because it is delicious, but to two American travelers, the free and reliable wifi was essential to keeping up with the world. I plan to pepper in posts about my travels over the next several weeks. I won't inundate you with all Canada all the time. And there's a good reason for that! This is a blog about living in Pittsburgh.<br />
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But, in order to get re-excited about living in Pittsburgh, I needed an escape. I needed a break from my normal everyday life to appreciate my normal everyday life again. You see, I'm a big advocate for vacation. I think it's necessary to step away from what's always right in front of me to make sure it's still what I want to have right in front of me. I don't foresee ever wanting something other than Pittsburgh. But even though I know work is going to be absolute hell this week playing catch-up and also making good on all the promises I made to people before I left, I still can't wait to wake up tomorrow and get on my bike and fly down Penn Ave. I can't wait to sit up in my office in PPG One and look out on my city and feel at home. Cause home is where my heart is, and that's always Pittsburgh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-39064563997014105932013-06-09T10:23:00.000-04:002013-06-09T10:23:07.452-04:00The Mysteries of Pittsburgh in the SummerLately my heart has been overflowing with love for my city. Which is not unusual in the slightest. I wouldn't have a blog dedicated to Pittsburgh if this feeling wasn't the norm. I'm sure that the onset of summer is cause for the recent surge of pride and love. Summer + PGH = favorite time. No matter what, whenever I'm in Pittsburgh in the summer, I feel like a kid again. I want to be out with friends. I want to ride bikes. I want to dance. I want to see the sun come up. There's hope and courage and reckless abandon that comes with every Pittsburgh summer.<br />
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This morning, while killing time before setting out for the day, I came across this video, which I'm sure has already made the official PGH-blog rounds, but I'm sharing here now because it's just so awesome and not to be missed:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KdDu4SjpZc0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I'm not ashamed to say that I started to get a tad misty-eyed toward the end. The tears started welling up at the scene of soccer-playing at the Point. That's from the (very terrible) adaptation of one of my most favorite books, <i>The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.</i> When that movie came out, I was living in Boston and was incredibly homesick. I saw it by myself in a Cambridge theater because I couldn't subject anyone I knew to a) a movie I knew would be terrible and b) the crying I knew would happen because I missed my home so so much. It was the soccer-playing scene that cued the waterworks then, so it's only fitting that's what did it for me this morning too.<br />
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Every summer I make it a point to reread <i>The Mysteries of Pittsburgh</i>. That annual tradition will begin today, when I take my signed, dogeared, underlined copy down to the Arts Festival. After four long years of being dormant, the fountain is back on - and it's glorious! Several hours today shall be spent sitting near its wonder, feeling its mist when the wind shifts, and soaking in the best thing: Pittsburgh in the summer.<br />
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<i>"When I remember that dizzy summer, that dull, stupid, lovely, dire summer, it seems that in those days I ate my lunches, smelled another's skin, noticed a shade of yellow, even simply sat, with greater lust and hopefulness--and that I lusted with greater faith, hoped with greater abandon. The people I loved were celebrities, surrounded by rumor and fanfare; the places I sat with them, movie lots and monuments. No doubt all of this is not true remembrance, but the ruinous work of nostalgia, which obliterates the past, and no doubt, as usual, I have exaggerated everything." - m. chabon</i></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-81541895424518382772013-06-07T23:57:00.000-04:002013-06-07T23:57:08.294-04:00Sweep. :/Well. That did not go according to plan.<br />
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Like at all.<br />
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Should I be more upset? Maybe. But, getting completely walloped has the benefit of never getting one's hopes up.<br />
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This past week has been a lot of putting things in perspective. It doesn't matter that we lost (I mean, of course it matters a bit and would have been awesome to win!), because I still get to turn 30 next week. I still get to spend next weekend celebrating with friends in all manner of ways. I still get to go on vacation! Right now a week away is exactly what I need. I have been working nonstop since getting back from Australia in November. I love my job. I'm not allowed to go into detail about what I do in a public forum, but it's stressful and sometimes very depressing - but when everything works out it's totally rewarding and extremely awesome. It's hard to really lose sleep over the Penguins when there's a ton of other things to lose sleep about. I guess what I'm saying is that I love hockey, but it can't be everything anymore.<br />
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That said: Go Chicago.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-24151209097883478182013-06-04T21:42:00.001-04:002013-06-04T21:42:12.024-04:00Here Comes Summer: The Three Rivers Arts Festivala) How is it already June 4th?<br />
Winter was so long and miserable and awful. Of course summer would officially start by going by in the blink of an eye. Right now I am on overdrive at work, trying to get as much done before my weeklong birthday adventure through Ontario. I look up from my work and it's 5:30 and I can't believe another day is behind me.<br />
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b) How is it already time for the Three Rivers Arts Festival??<br />
Oh, right - because it's already June 4th. And the festival starts on Friday!<br />
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I took a walk around Point State Park at lunch today to see everything getting set-up for Friday. That's when the festivities start - AND - when the fountain at the point turns back on! It's been hibernating since 2009. So glad to see it come back to life.<br />
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Here's a sampling of the music I'm most interested in taking in over the course of the week, but make sure to <a href="http://www.3riversartsfest.org/">check out the full listings here</a>.<br />
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FRIDAY: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Point State Park, 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.<br />
(Sadly, I'm going to be missing this, because I would rather torture myself by watching another Pens-Bruins playoff game.)<br />
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SUNDAY: Cello Fury w/ Joy Ike and the dude from The Clarks - Point State Park, 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.<br />
(Here's another I'll probably miss due to hockey. I don't even want to think about the possibility of catching this, because it means things got REAL BAD REAL FAST for the Pens...)<br />
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MONDAY: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Point State Park, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.<br />
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WEDNESDAY: Glen Hansard - Point State Park, 7:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.<br />
I've seen Glen Hansard play with The Frames and Swell Season before, and he is quite the performer. I highly recommend this show. Knock on stick, but hockey best not interfere with this one.<br />
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If you come to the festival by bike, BikePGH is offering FREE bike valet right at the entrance of Point State Park. I'll be there volunteering to take your bike off your hands while you go have fun. I'll also be there taking pictures of people with their bikes in the I <3 My Bike photobooth.<br />
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This will be a totally great weekend to be a Pittsburgher (especially if the Pens figure <i>something</i> out). Now, if I could only squeeze in a few extra weekdays to get all this work done before I scurry north for a week of Canadian people, places and things.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-50597451384236630562013-05-28T13:00:00.000-04:002013-05-28T13:00:02.444-04:00Memorial Day Weekend: Biking and Fire Making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When this publishes, I'll be at my desk daydreaming about my weekend. The past few days were wonderful. The keywords for the weekend were "biking" and "fire making," but we may as well add "beer" and "whiskey" in there for good measure. On Saturday, my friend Ross and I took an epic bike ride down the GAP. The section between the South Side and the Waterfront being open is awesome. There's been more bike traffic on that side of the trail coming off the Hot Metal Bridge than ever before. We took the trail 25 miles down to Dravo's Cemetery, where I've camped before and now plan to do so on a *hopefully* monthly basis. </div>
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Saturday night involved a lot of beer. I met up with my friend Sam, who I met at Pitt, but who also lived in Boston at the same time as me. We drank flights of beer at the Beer Market on the North Shore. This place is all right with me. I got two flights (four samples each) and a draft that mixed Guinness and cider. Total = $26. You can also bring your own food into this place, because they don't serve any! (While laughing over Boston-times, Sam reminded me of the time we were booed by the ENTIRE Garden during a Bruins-Pens game when we got on the Jumbotron and held up a Terrible Towel, basically completely blocking the cute little girl Bruins fan the cameraman was meaning to showcase. Proud moment of my life right there.) After parting ways, the night continued for me in various Bloomfield establishments. It's not often I'm closing down bars anymore. Hockey playoffs certainly kick my liver into high-gear.<br />
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Sunday (after a much-needed double egg and cheese at Primanti's in order to regain human status) was another nice day for a bike ride, which I did with my friend Ben. We took the GAP, but only to McKeesport. From the ride I went directly to Shur-Save for a bottle of Aleve. My knees are feeling it today, for sure. That night we had a fire in his backyard. Friends gathered and we roasted hot dogs, made smores, and had beer and whiskey around the fire. Nothing in the world is better than waking up smelling like a bonfire.<br />
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This morning I hosted a brunch, which was a genius way of motivating myself to a) clean my apartment and b) go to the grocery store. I love cooking breakfast for people. I suck at being an adult in most things in "domestic" life, but making breakfast is something I take pride in. (Example of sucking at being an adult: my friend Kate hooked me up with ice because I had four ice trays in the freezer and they were all empty.) The day will end by having a pizza party with my brother and watching Arrested Development. I don't think I ever want Memorial Day Weekend to end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-10892143470739314432013-05-27T16:46:00.000-04:002013-05-27T16:46:09.214-04:00Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013: No More O Canadas.Let's get the important business out of the way first.<br />
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I have a new playoff t-shirt.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCTf1OrJXVq2f8NaRq0MbW_kJUmpRLr2PCXhPBsX93URl_dNUjcPWHDKmZzFzq7MrG7rxfUZEcAVX1YCaHCYNL0ig5h8JuqwCsF518DkelDq3YLd0Skj58LS7o2JzNXfRBRFxrUkL-A/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-27+at+4.23.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCTf1OrJXVq2f8NaRq0MbW_kJUmpRLr2PCXhPBsX93URl_dNUjcPWHDKmZzFzq7MrG7rxfUZEcAVX1YCaHCYNL0ig5h8JuqwCsF518DkelDq3YLd0Skj58LS7o2JzNXfRBRFxrUkL-A/s400/Screen+shot+2013-05-27+at+4.23.29+PM.png" width="311" /></a></div>
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I switched up after the overtime loss. And things are right back on track. I'm very satisfied with the results of my Kennedy t-shirt. Also very relieved that I could put the other one in the laundry basket.<br />
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I was fortunate to get to go to all three home games in the Ottawa series. This means I saw Jeff Jimerson sing O Canada three more times this season. Win!<br />
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And win and win and win at that! The first game I went to with my dad, and got to see a masterful spanking of the Senators. For the second game, I had both tickets and brought my friend Rob from DC to the game. This is where the crucial purchasing of not one - but two! - Kennedy t-shirts occurred. The second one may be explained at a later date, if all goes according to plan.<br />
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The third and fourth games were watched at Nico's. Then it was back to Consol for game five with my dad. This was a fun night. The two seats next to ours are often occupied by two guys named Mike and Ross. My dad and I have grown quite fond of them, as they are just as loud and fun and rambunctious as we are. There was a lot of hooting and hollering. There were a NUMBER of high fives. Just a great night all around.<br />
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Crosby Hat Trick</div>
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James Neal Hat Trick</div>
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The double-OT loss was a bummer. But considering I got to see not one - but two! - in-person hat tricks was pretty awesome. And now, it's time to prepare for an anxiety-ridden couple weeks...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">NIGHTMARE SCENARIO. Seriously.</span> </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-91656786224723438632013-05-12T00:24:00.002-04:002013-05-12T00:24:29.152-04:00Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013: Found My Pens Playoff T-Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXYSE4sJFOPq8ADaYp1Hw4a_6B9aGmcwMZyCB1N4rhCmjOhvO4WWafdBhOCcDd1EFdTnm8hHgAd49r4Aw0lBYYidqH6vZjRCt7VryayKwldTQ5DwdBuBhru9ZyVeEySSjbTFMmhdS0g/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-05-12+at+12.23.27+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="635" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXYSE4sJFOPq8ADaYp1Hw4a_6B9aGmcwMZyCB1N4rhCmjOhvO4WWafdBhOCcDd1EFdTnm8hHgAd49r4Aw0lBYYidqH6vZjRCt7VryayKwldTQ5DwdBuBhru9ZyVeEySSjbTFMmhdS0g/s640/Screen+shot+2013-05-12+at+12.23.27+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Friends, I have found my<a href="http://www.steelcitycottonworks.com/collections/frontpage/products/hockey-night"> Penguins playoffs t-shirt.</a> It smells of Nico's, and because I've been biking around in it, it's starting to... It's not the freshest article of clothing I own right now.<br />
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But it has now seen both shut-out games, the <i>amazing</i> Tyler Kennedy breakaway game-winner goal, and two overtime wins. It will not be seeing the wash for hopefully a whiles longer.<br />
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This series was...frustrating. I've only really been following hockey and getting excited about it during the last six or seven years. So my hockey commentary is based on very contemporary knowledge of the team and a grip on the rules/logistics/strategies of the game that is way more than loose, but not yet strong. I'm relieved this series is over. The six games against the Islanders were prime examples of why I have come to love hockey and why it is a rollercoaster of emotions that is sometimes unnerving!<br />
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The love of it overpowers most often. Especially when I was at the game with my dad on Thursday. Seeing the Kennedy goal live and having my phone buzz out of control and having all the people we know near our seats turn to me and scream "Pig!" Watching Crosby split those dudes - kind of like the statue of Mario right outside the Consol. Giddily waiting for them to announce the stars at the end of the game, even when my dad's normal go-to move is to BOLT to the stairs as soon as the last second ticks down.<br />
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And then tonight. When they were down. Tied. Down. Tied! Down... TIED! Overtime. Gah... And then YES. Nico's exploded. We all jumped out of our seats and cheered. We chanted a few rounds of "Let's Go Pens!" Allie and I compared palm-of-hand redness from all of the clapping.<br />
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And now we're off to face the Senators. I'm nervous. But - also kind of excited to hear one more of Jeff Jimerson's "O Canada" renditions before the year's out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-51069035347999401862013-05-11T16:29:00.001-04:002013-05-11T16:29:50.113-04:00My Market Square FavoritesSince I've been back in Pittsburgh (approaching the three-year anniversary mark!), I've been with the same small law firm whose offices have gone from the stately Henry W. Oliver Building to the glass castle called PPG One. Transitioning over toward PPG Place has made me a frequenter of Market Square - before work, during lunch, and after work. Here are some of my favorite options for fueling and feeding myself throughout the workweek:<br />
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<b>BEFORE WORK</b><br />
<i><a href="http://bluebirdkitchen.com/">Bluebird Kitchen</a></i><br />
I enjoy Bluebird for many reasons. 1) Delicious coffee. 2) Different and always tasty pastries. 3) Actual FRESH-SQUEEZED OJ (one of my favorite things in life). 4) My neighbor Alex works there! I need to make a mental note to get to work early enough one day to sit down and have an actual breakfast there, cause I'm on a big eggs and toast kick right now. I can only believe that would make a great start to my morning.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.nicholascoffee.net/about.html">Nicholas Coffee Co.</a></i><br />
Lovely lattes, especially when a "pick-me-up" is needed on a rainy, gray Pittsburgh afternoon. (Having an entire wall of your office be a window with an awesome view can get a little depressing in a stretch of rainy days.) They've also got a great selection of teas, and this is a normal go-to for me when I'm out of coffee or espresso beans at home.<br />
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<b>DURING LUNCH AND AFTER WORK</b><br />
<i><a href="http://winghartburgers.com/">WINGHART'S</a></i><br />
If you've been paying even the smallest bit of attention to EvBetPGH, you probably already know my love for this place. But I'm a fan of beating people over the head with information. So here we go again: Best burger you'll ever have. Ever. I never stray away from my usual order (FYI: empty with extra cheddar medium, which I then dip in what even I consider an obscene amount of ketchup), but anyone I have ever taken to this place (there have been lots and lots) agrees that whatever burger they had was MIGHTY good. I love this place for lunch, and I especially love it for after work. When I worked in the Oliver Building, my dad and I would meet at the Smithfield Cafe before Pens games or whatever event we were taking in that night). Now we meet at Winghart's. A definite improvement in many ways.<br />
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<i><a href="http://lasvelasmex.com/#blank">Las Velas</a></i><br />
Let me be nostalgic for a moment: Back when I was at Pitt, back when I was under-21, I ate many a meal at La Fiesta. The restaurant wasn't much - chairs and tables set up in the front two rooms of a mostly-shitty (but livable) South Oakland building - but the food was cheap, the queso (THE CHEESE!) was amazing stuff, and no one asked for my ID when I brought in a six pack. The queso was so amazing that on return trips to Pittsburgh from Boston, I would asked to be taked directly to La Fiesta from the airport. Las Velas, whose quality of establishment is about a billion times less shady than La Fiesta, has THE CHEESE. They also have the tacos and all the other delicious Mexican fare. Though it's not BYOB, I'm now able to consume alcohol legally. And I have consumed many margaritas from Las Velas and I can attest to their wonderfulness (as well as their strongness).<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.prantlsbakery.com/">Prantl's</a></i><br />
For whenever my sweet tooth is aching for a treat. Love their cookies, although I have to stray away from the ones with too too much icing. I think I may have entered into a sugar coma-shock after devouring one of those once.<br />
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<i><a href="http://primantibros.com/home.html">Primanti's</a></i><br />
Admission: I did not have my first Primanti's sammich until the Steelers Super Bowl against the Seahawks. I was a bad Pittsburgher back then. Now, I'll hit up Primanti's on the regular for lunch. There's a way a double egg & cheese hits the spot like no other lunch option can.<br />
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<i><br /></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-2185064079349855792013-05-02T20:19:00.001-04:002013-05-02T20:19:29.162-04:00Alcohol Boat: Commonwealth Press's Beer Barge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hwAjg9P_H5ksFwsfpfLYpfsFJnbOCvdemO2xcPsWKTm7QbUZB2YGUxaK8ovs1hoeneW00PfToaS-vIkgj301Phd9Y2Y8xLRaaCIvq5iV0_SFhLyPqUv95OXg6B4wHc82tnpakKqNPA/s1600/IMG_20130426_182525_453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hwAjg9P_H5ksFwsfpfLYpfsFJnbOCvdemO2xcPsWKTm7QbUZB2YGUxaK8ovs1hoeneW00PfToaS-vIkgj301Phd9Y2Y8xLRaaCIvq5iV0_SFhLyPqUv95OXg6B4wHc82tnpakKqNPA/s640/IMG_20130426_182525_453.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This was one of the best events I have ever been to.<br />
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There was no other way to start this post. It simply was awesome. The ingredients for the perfect Friday night in April? A Gateway Clipper boat + dozens of craft breweries lining the first and second decks + local bands + a top deck that offered some pretty stellar views of the city + the brilliance and hard work of Commonwealth Press.<br />
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The crowd was great. The event had actually sold out twice due to a server crash, so instead of telling 300 people they didn't actually have tickets, Commonwealth Press chartered a second trip on the same boat. So as soon as our cruise returned around 9:30, the dock was filled with another crowd ready to set sail on the alcohol boat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlPkM4eHlgjv7MCQ9WmAH9W_ZDog06PBt8X6ppWoFOcCnIGGlz4LXIxVaKwv82z8tVdaGIKkLg7wShvGpDohGo1k6y94A8nuQtpfC8z8meENpCo6NqJnR_ZlSA6uafGdTTovLZDabIA/s1600/IMG_20130426_195749_554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlPkM4eHlgjv7MCQ9WmAH9W_ZDog06PBt8X6ppWoFOcCnIGGlz4LXIxVaKwv82z8tVdaGIKkLg7wShvGpDohGo1k6y94A8nuQtpfC8z8meENpCo6NqJnR_ZlSA6uafGdTTovLZDabIA/s640/IMG_20130426_195749_554.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The night was perfect. Better weather could not have been asked for. It's been so long since I've been on the river (I've been in it, a few times!), and I had forgotten the skyline's majesty as you approach the Point on a boat.<br />
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I hope (and expect) this will become a yearly event. My only wish is that it would be seasonally instead of yearly. But I'll take what I can get, and I'll be sure to be ready with my credit card the moment next year's tickets go on sale.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-80273916209624623842013-05-01T18:59:00.003-04:002013-05-01T18:59:41.801-04:00National Bike Challenge Starts Today! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcur_GzvPS3B9_1DzfhBJcBJCYbl_YU3_jKOxE-E_8QEU6zAQrLge_vVoXIE8jO2LJHT7Uh-GhM_07t8rubR7gPH87TDm-qJSZRszfhkwaup6pgkHO1oskaIxOZYk_KtQ66jisMJoOQ/s1600/20120916111614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcur_GzvPS3B9_1DzfhBJcBJCYbl_YU3_jKOxE-E_8QEU6zAQrLge_vVoXIE8jO2LJHT7Uh-GhM_07t8rubR7gPH87TDm-qJSZRszfhkwaup6pgkHO1oskaIxOZYk_KtQ66jisMJoOQ/s640/20120916111614.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know, I don't miss winter biking. Shocking, right? Avoiding patches of ice. Layering up every morning. Losing feeling in my fingers. And the mornings when the streets were covered in snow, which meant scrounging up $2.50 for a bus ride.</div>
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Now that we're officially into amazing biking weather, we're also officially into the National Bike Challenge. For the most and best information about the challenge, which starts today and runs through the end of September, <a href="http://bikepgh.org/2013/05/01/pgh-v-cle-showdown-in-the-national-bike-challenge/">visit BikePGH's site</a>.</div>
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Two of more important things to know:</div>
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- Riding your bike and logging your miles earns you FREE BEERS at Over the Bar on the South Side.</div>
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- Cleveland has called us out. They actually think they can become the "Rust Belt Champion" this year. Help Pittsburgh kick butt and shut Cleveland up.</div>
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Because we're talking Cleveland, it's impossible for me NOT to share one of my favorite tourism videos:</div>
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Biking weather, hockey playoffs, more and more sunshine everyday... This is the life.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-65230751027230467292013-04-18T22:14:00.003-04:002013-04-18T22:14:25.237-04:00Boston.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07ihVg5_rn94o71cWWTlOXKBLBG-cpFD28UpqUdbGDfaTRDnEhDs7VWseu7_QLzDjNuBrWlyP8wLEtOvbDN4JVQZ4qPK9IkyOGeOrXyLYchx6w_Qiy-VKu8rylkzcV_XBe1RDrpECsg/s1600/IMG_20130417_193155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07ihVg5_rn94o71cWWTlOXKBLBG-cpFD28UpqUdbGDfaTRDnEhDs7VWseu7_QLzDjNuBrWlyP8wLEtOvbDN4JVQZ4qPK9IkyOGeOrXyLYchx6w_Qiy-VKu8rylkzcV_XBe1RDrpECsg/s640/IMG_20130417_193155.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've not always had the nicest things to say about Boston. Then on Monday, my heart broke. Marlana wrote a great blog post about her feelings about the tragedy that struck our former city, which you can <a href="http://mustbewanderlust.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/the-expat-diary-on-boston/">read here!</a> I left the following comment:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I spent five years in Boston. When I left, I was glad to be getting the hell out and returning to my favorite place in the world: Pittsburgh. But, in the end, Boston served me well. It was a test-run at adulthood. It was a crash-course in falling in love and getting my heart broken. It was five years when I lived life to its fullest possible extent. It was where I met Marlana!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Here are my five favorite Boston things/people/places/stuff that I sometimes find myself missing:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">1. GREAT SCOTT, Friday nights. I danced my face off, sweated through t-shirts in the summer, and drank so many vodka red bulls. Dancing with all my friends at my last Great Scott as a resident of Boston was a chart-topping life moment.<br style="line-height: inherit;" />2. The Pizza Ark aka Beaconsfield Park. This is a park tucked away in Brookline between the C and D line and Coolidge Corner and Cleveland Circle. It had a couple ballfields, a playground, and some tennis courts. It also had a nice sloped hill, which was a great place to recover from hangovers, picnic with friends, or sleep…at night. I only managed this twice (friends foiled a third attempt…in the wintertime), but both times were kind of awesome.<br style="line-height: inherit;" />3. Biking along the Charles. Boston is where I bought my bike, and it’s where I started riding a lot. I went up and down the Charles for hours when the weather agreed.<br style="line-height: inherit;" />4. Walking EVERYWHERE. I walked so much in Boston. It’s so walkable, it’s almost a crime not to. On nice evenings I would walk the four miles from Copley Square to Brighton. I did the Walk for Hunger a few times. I made my parents walk so much during a visit that they each had to buy new shoes when they got home cause all the walking I made them do wore them out!<br style="line-height: inherit;" />5. The friends that came out of nowhere. I went to Boston knowing one person. I left Boston knowing a bunch of incredibly awesome ones. There is a core group of people I will never forget. There are inside jokes I will never stop laughing at. When I moved, I wanted to bring them all with me. I hope one day for a grand reunion over PBRs and free popcorn at the Silhouette.</span></div>
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Boston was super good for me. The city nurtured my interests and helped me develop talents I didn't know were hiding. I sold my soul for a few years working sales for a textbook publisher, but the bonus checks helped fund awesome purchases (guitar, DSLR camera, bike) and adventures (I have been to every Canadian province and am an honorary Newfoundlander). I met awesome people, who I would stay up with for all hours of the night laughing until we cried. We used to have these crazy friend sleepovers when it was too late and everyone was too drunk to go home. Thinking about Boston so much in the past four days has made me uber-nostalgic for those times we had. Boston was like a different life I got to lead, and it will always be special to me.<br />
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The Public Garden - many walks taken through here with the best boss I've ever had (hi, Stephen!) cause we shared a love of soft-serve ice cream from the truck.</div>
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Apple-picking, an annual activity with Mullen and Erin. Often followed by a trip to the Topsfield Fair.</div>
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THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Most. Delicious. Pancakes. And those toasted blueberry muffins. My friend Jack and I took this for a breakfast blog we wanted to start, but we could never get enough of Breakfast Club (or Zaftigs).</div>
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Boston is a town that gets the fall. I will love Pittsburgh forever, but I'll always miss Boston in the fall.</div>
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This is from Salem, not Boston. But the Pirate Museum in Salem is NOT to be missed.</div>
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The Silhouette. Pitchers of PBR and free popcorn. I loved this place.</div>
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Taken during Head of the Charles.</div>
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I lived walking distance from the Reservoir in Cleveland Circle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCUw5ajrkGyKp3LVtpV8dc1QeE_V-iVXEQoqtGBCnf4zBskd5nEuS1xcXSZx7ui7znGI1juCMg31_dcTIXwwQx8HnROjRSelNivep-ozyLyfja8x0qVGlrinx8D01nfeukKI6n-kw8g/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCUw5ajrkGyKp3LVtpV8dc1QeE_V-iVXEQoqtGBCnf4zBskd5nEuS1xcXSZx7ui7znGI1juCMg31_dcTIXwwQx8HnROjRSelNivep-ozyLyfja8x0qVGlrinx8D01nfeukKI6n-kw8g/s640/DSC_0068.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzpMfyx1Vr28JVni06F8RBiYLls6sy_VeSMmr7tZ2Gx4jHZho8I8XXxUIupLFnv7jJEyDJ9V5VcLP4iWD2uCyQdxfNvS69_n0HS-hSuuTgH7hNidqV6wig0zu8PI2CLFIy8D4WpUDrA/s1600/DSC_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzpMfyx1Vr28JVni06F8RBiYLls6sy_VeSMmr7tZ2Gx4jHZho8I8XXxUIupLFnv7jJEyDJ9V5VcLP4iWD2uCyQdxfNvS69_n0HS-hSuuTgH7hNidqV6wig0zu8PI2CLFIy8D4WpUDrA/s640/DSC_0101.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Boston's Holocaust Memorial</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UtYKAlHKGTARUnoIpFzzDbqIErxo66rq-tVFVhjgdYk96INJOyo_B6Hmt4CJcsh4bWHEGhIeiEJ0nqkXRTAhBpj6lvLd4yZZrrYtwRJhOvId10ey8n0Nfsgs0y7xjEccDcKQgOCoBg/s1600/DSC_0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UtYKAlHKGTARUnoIpFzzDbqIErxo66rq-tVFVhjgdYk96INJOyo_B6Hmt4CJcsh4bWHEGhIeiEJ0nqkXRTAhBpj6lvLd4yZZrrYtwRJhOvId10ey8n0Nfsgs0y7xjEccDcKQgOCoBg/s640/DSC_0135.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Boston's Afghanistan War Memorial</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0cUbo85MfeB8YAy4jVI2ctrv5h1Pq77lkXlfje1CWZ1azQ4LEcR027u9DK17Wc-KmYddqmvlLBT5gbMYA74w5bcz0c2m1QrzJdaRoe2a55qxW3R_d53kpC8Wne22C5nnbBpKqJWLDQ/s1600/DSC_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0cUbo85MfeB8YAy4jVI2ctrv5h1Pq77lkXlfje1CWZ1azQ4LEcR027u9DK17Wc-KmYddqmvlLBT5gbMYA74w5bcz0c2m1QrzJdaRoe2a55qxW3R_d53kpC8Wne22C5nnbBpKqJWLDQ/s640/DSC_0141.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Cambridge and Boston, from atop the tower in the Mount Auburn Cemetery</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_NBOwi7OblbhaLoLrR6D4wCZYdib4oS8W9GrXDllQ-ypa6W3HDRZ6hstddu6a4q9aivqrtsEDt-DVp3N-25DGuhRLzZ-VH-0wJjzuWj_-stQOyhUreWcgMYKpCoAR9WQDTTmO7Ot9g/s1600/DSC_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_NBOwi7OblbhaLoLrR6D4wCZYdib4oS8W9GrXDllQ-ypa6W3HDRZ6hstddu6a4q9aivqrtsEDt-DVp3N-25DGuhRLzZ-VH-0wJjzuWj_-stQOyhUreWcgMYKpCoAR9WQDTTmO7Ot9g/s640/DSC_0199.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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9 Egremont Road, Apt 10: The morning after an epic Halloween party.</div>
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From atop the Bunker Hill Monument.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Eac9xOFzw73EucKnC_piPFzbQVlkHTSSdA-aLSi4xYGmcsE9jz547jHCpdW-YGOt-E4ju_fLmcbwqmvxChR4QEiN9R0GQe5-kzwwZgGu1UGWxSmEgCfc7Fn-4EGFkuzRt5oGYVJ1qQ/s1600/DSC_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Eac9xOFzw73EucKnC_piPFzbQVlkHTSSdA-aLSi4xYGmcsE9jz547jHCpdW-YGOt-E4ju_fLmcbwqmvxChR4QEiN9R0GQe5-kzwwZgGu1UGWxSmEgCfc7Fn-4EGFkuzRt5oGYVJ1qQ/s640/DSC_0292.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hanging out with the seals outside of the New England Aquarium.</div>
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When I left Boston, I wanted to leave something of me behind. I gave my friends a mix I had made of all the songs that would forever remind me of the five years prior. Here's the list of what's on there. As I listen to it tonight, I can't help but miss the crap out of Beantown.<br />
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1. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends<br />
2. The xx - VCR<br />
3. Loney Dear - I Was Only Going Out<br />
4. Lemonheads - Into Your Arms<br />
5. Georgie James - Cheap Champagne<br />
6. Stars - 14 Forever<br />
7. M83 - Graveyard Girl<br />
8. Passion Pit - Moth's Wings<br />
9. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire<br />
10. Rocky Votolato - Before You Were Born<br />
11. Josh Ritter - Monster Ballads<br />
12. Noah and the Whale - Blue Skies<br />
13. Bon Iver - re: Stacks<br />
14. AA Bondy - There's A Reason<br />
15. The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving<br />
16. Slow Club - When I Go<br />
17. Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats<br />
18. New Order - Run Wild<br />
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In a goodbye letter I received, I was told I would always be a Bostonian. I'd like to think that nearly three years later that still applies. Be strong, Boston.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-76909328991757498842013-04-12T22:56:00.001-04:002013-04-12T22:56:49.756-04:00Friday Evening Bike RideIt was a rough week. Not rough with a string of bad days. But rough in the "things are a little weird right now" kind of way. Some weird and good! Some weird... and not exactly great. Fortunately, the shift in the weather means bike rides after work. I had my heart set on doing twenty miles today. I planned a route and set off. First the wind was a bit annoying. And then the wind got super annoying. And never at my back. The wind continued to chill, and I cursed myself for not having my entire arms and legs covered. I was about two-thirds of the way through my route when I had a decision to make at the end of the Hot Metal Bridge. Go right and I shorten my ride, but probably make it home without totally losing feeling in my hands or falling over from sheer exhaustion. Go left and finish the whole twenty miles, giving a mental middle finger to the recent memory of winter.<br />
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Note to self: Put binoculars in bike bag.</div>
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I went left and quickly realized I should've gone right.<br />
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Not the prettiest spring day, but I'll gladly take it.</div>
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I knew not long after I started back toward the city that there was no chance of making it all the way back to Bloomfield without stopping. My new plan was hatched in an instant.<br />
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I rode back into downtown, locked up in Market Square, and took a seat at the bar at Winghart's. It was super crowded, but I placed my order quickly while the rush they'd just been hit with poured over the menu. I wound up talking to the people next to me, when I reached nearer to them for a handful of napkins. They remarked that I needed more than I grabbed for a burger as messy as mine looked, but I assured them I had "eating a Winghart's burger" pretty much perfected. Then then told me that they had passed me not once, but twice on the trail that evening.<br />
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They had traveled to Pittsburgh from Minnesota for the Frozen Four tournament. The end of this week in Pittsburgh has been buzzing with collegiate hockey players. Someone must have given them a memo about Market Square, because they seemed to flock there for food. This couple travels to every Frozen Four; I believe they said for the past fifteen years. They brought their bikes with them, and had been going around the city checking out local breweries. They'd already hit Penn Brewery and the Church Brew Works, and were heading to East End tomorrow. They were staying at the Priory, which is super awesome for them. I advised them to check out the War Streets and step into Monterey Pub.<br />
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A Yale Marching Band in Market Square at lunchtime.</div>
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A few minutes later I was warm and full of burger. It was time to finish the last four of twenty miles.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-28081604891049017682013-04-10T21:05:00.001-04:002013-04-11T07:51:38.761-04:00City Dining with Dad: SausalidoFor Christmas, I got my dad a deck of <a href="http://www.citydiningcards.com/catalog/p-100022/pittsburgh-dining-cards-2013">City Dining Cards</a>. The plan was to take him out for lunch and dinner at new restaurants now and then. Tonight, I treated my dad to a dinner at <a href="http://www.sausalido.net/NewSausalido/Sausalido/Home.html">Sausalido</a>, a small bistro on Liberty in Bloomfield. I've lived in this neighborhood for nearly three years, and I've walked by Sausalido many times and wondered. When I told my boss I was taking my dad out to dinner in Bloomfield, it was her second suggestion.<br />
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A lot of the restaurants with Dining Cards in the deck were more bar-food type places, and I wanted to buy my dad a nice dinner, because we were actually making a trade. He gets a good meal, and I get about four loads of laundry done. As in, he took my laundry home with him, and will be dropping it back off here in a few days all nice and clean.<br />
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Did I mention I have a pretty cool dad?<br />
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This was a most excellent meal. Both my dad and I enjoyed every single thing put in front of us.<br />
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There was bread and a white bean dipping sauce, that was great cause it came quick and I was starving. We each got a cup of the night's tomato basil bisque, and I think we both wished we had ordered the bowl instead. (Seriously, delicious.) My dad had a beet something salad. I stopped paying attention when he started talking about beets. He looked delighted with it though. We each had fish for our main course. He had halibut over some rice and stuff (I never claimed this was a food blog!) and I had salmon over a caesar salad. My dad cleaned his plate, but I saved half of mine for lunch tomorrow.<br />
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The only drawback of the night was finding out the white chocolate espresso cheesecake hadn't been made yet! We had apparently arrived at the start of a new seasonal menu, and the restaurant had been too busy (a definite good thing - let's keep this place around!) to make the new desserts.<br />
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Getting a slice of that heavenly sounding cheesecake is a reason to go back, but obviously not the only one. My dad and I talked about how good it was as we walked the way back to my apartment.<br />
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Then he took off into the night. Belly full of good food and truck full of my dirty laundry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-71248928035943447762013-04-09T22:02:00.003-04:002013-04-09T22:02:51.655-04:00A Really Backward Way of Convincing You to BikeFinally. Spring.<br />
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Anyone else feel like it took forever to get here? Was it because last winter was so mild and so unobtrusive? Did it just suck more than normal? Or am I just getting older and grumpier when conditions aren't ideal for biking around all over the place?<br />
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This morning I was flying down Penn in a t-shirt and short-leggings. The weather was perfect and thoughts of "I love spring." or "I love biking." or "I love Pittsburgh." were populating my brain. This is what I had been waiting (im)patiently for as winter dragged on during the past few weeks.<br />
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And then I got downtown. And started navigating the disaster that is Wood Street. When I'm not on my bike, I'm usually on my feet. I'm rarely in a motor vehicle. so even when I'm on two wheels, I have a deep respect for pedestrians. But some pedestrians crossing Wood Street around 8 a.m. on weekday mornings are crossing Wood Street without a care in the world for what's coming their way. And I'm starting to have very little respect for them! Wood Street stresses me out, but it's the *safest* option to my parking garage. By the time I am crossing Fourth and about to turn down Third into my garage, I am relieved.<br />
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That relief started washing over me today - and then all of a sudden <i style="font-weight: bold;">I was on the ground</i>. <br />
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I had been doored.<br />
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Not something I want to experience again.<br />
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When I bike, I am always keeping an eye out for opening car doors. I've had a few close calls, and I've had to shout a few cautionary words here and there. But here's the thing about getting doored: I didn't see it coming. I was fine and then I was on the ground.<br />
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And then of course I was scurrying back up, feeling embarrassed (even though I know I should've been irate) and making sure all my limbs and appendages were still functioning. Thankfully, they were. And my bike was fine too. I think the people in the car were terrified, which made me feel bad, so I kept assuring them I was fine, but they had to promise me to be more careful. I explained that the driver is at fault in the dooring situation and went on my merry (and slightly bruised) way.<br />
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This is a really backward way of convincing you to get outside and bike. I've been on my bike most every day of 2013. I stayed off the roads if they were snowy or icy, but bared the freezing wind and cold when possible to get back and forth from work or places like the grocery store. I couldn't be more excited for spring, because it means many more miles will be pedaled. Biking around Pittsburgh may be intimidating at first, but it's easy to acclimate. The stories like the one above are uncommon. I've been biking steadily for three years, and that was my first dooring. And my worst bike crash to date was the fault of another biker on the North Shore Trail.<br />
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My advice: Wear a helmet. Take streets you're comfortable with. Push yourself up the hills. (Your body will thank you!) Become a <a href="http://bikepgh.org/">BikePGH</a> Member. (AND <a href="http://bikepgh.org/2013/03/22/take-action-tell-the-candidates-that-you-want-safe-streets/">SIGN THE "I BIKE. I WALK. I VOTE." PETITION</a>.) Make smart decisions. Be confident! If you feel nervous biking, you'll be a nervous biker.<br />
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And, probably most important: HAVE FUN.<br />
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(BTW: Sorry about the prolonged absence. My only excuse is that winter sucks.)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-37291146405172562212013-03-12T21:00:00.000-04:002013-03-12T21:00:12.759-04:00Why PGH Is Everything Better: The Skinny Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Throughout the day, I like to keep up with what's going on outside my lovely wall of a window in the PPG building. I get an amazing view of the city from where I sit every work day between 8:30 and 5:30. I refresh the Post-Gazette's website often. Today I came across one of those articles that made me think: "This is why Pittsburgh is great." So, here I offer you the first in what may become a series (especially because my activity-doing and adventure-taking has been nearly halted due to evil winter): <b>Why PGH is Everything Better</b>.<br />
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I have walked by the "Skinny Building" so many times. I bike past it every day. I had no idea it was a) a thing or b) its own building. Here I am, approaching three years working downtown, and totally unaware that we could have a world-record-setting building. <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/ura-buys-skinny-building-and-its-plumper-neighbor-678974/">Enjoy the article here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-10791291137377492432013-03-06T19:25:00.000-05:002013-03-06T19:25:37.854-05:00Seriously, Winter? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seriously, winter?</div>
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Waking up this morning and finding this was a cruel way to start my day. When I went to bed, no snow had fallen. When I woke up, I knew I'd be busing it downtown today. And then I watched, all day long, as the sun came out and the snow <i>all melted away</i>. I could've biked home. Instead, I was back on the bus, staring out the window and dreaming of not being on the bus. </div>
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This better have been the last of it. I know this isn't the last time I'll ever deal with winter. But right now I am really ready to be done with it for a while. I am looking forward to that really hot, sweaty day of summer right now.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQ4SgRpmVHjAGo3bZ4JPK9v-CwnjS0t6nVzc5sUn2230NXho1Qi4xUrPuYB5ysuFep3XGUvXnLyOIwYFpafF8QMRi4A3icPu8GyIx1rk8QcIRUJnLYgPLNuTk6Sug9HOnq34S9MirOw/s1600/IMG_20130301_233925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQ4SgRpmVHjAGo3bZ4JPK9v-CwnjS0t6nVzc5sUn2230NXho1Qi4xUrPuYB5ysuFep3XGUvXnLyOIwYFpafF8QMRi4A3icPu8GyIx1rk8QcIRUJnLYgPLNuTk6Sug9HOnq34S9MirOw/s400/IMG_20130301_233925.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></div>
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I made my art debut last Friday!</div>
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I am slowly taking over more and more of my mom's hobbies and traits. But always with my own slight twist. Felt really strange to see things I made hanging in such a proper way. As proper as things get during an Unblurred, that is, but I don't need anything more proper than that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs53VAzHIl1n8KodoEFnUWnEL62UD2-GaiYD4gEauLXq1tt6YwJ_DGKmXayVAfPmZgV8pzfWucblgDaLtQZRwqqwdCW2Dbk_2FUe9THIleeQ0PoY6AZzYQ7VCwZi2a-BlrD1hsLXWJA/s1600/IMG_20130301_205954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs53VAzHIl1n8KodoEFnUWnEL62UD2-GaiYD4gEauLXq1tt6YwJ_DGKmXayVAfPmZgV8pzfWucblgDaLtQZRwqqwdCW2Dbk_2FUe9THIleeQ0PoY6AZzYQ7VCwZi2a-BlrD1hsLXWJA/s400/IMG_20130301_205954.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After Roboto we checked out Ava for a drink while we waited for our table at BRGR.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSp1EbyyS0EU9Bv4KLzLvW2VNx2_6pMh-Ngqruv5mIL2QG9N2Yysp43gYc2UH-eV54hzu_D5xznSX3ANApLUZFVAtwpoM_dAD3fOCtAQmWsHP-Tdtwoff845IKyGWhJYPfhVpjc5nWQ/s1600/IMG_20130301_223924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSp1EbyyS0EU9Bv4KLzLvW2VNx2_6pMh-Ngqruv5mIL2QG9N2Yysp43gYc2UH-eV54hzu_D5xznSX3ANApLUZFVAtwpoM_dAD3fOCtAQmWsHP-Tdtwoff845IKyGWhJYPfhVpjc5nWQ/s400/IMG_20130301_223924.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got the alcoholic milkshake I'd been dreaming of all week, and I got to enjoy it in the company of some mighty awesome folks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiWWZjprGNWFcgW_mfnce_-7RdruuySQ-pFOH15kj1iNDftmE63kTcz70P81DDNGXf-FyUeMUzMCIk2DjklwQm-d3bSRgdo5PhYwQ8QurTwOaPn5X8oDdz4Ij8zbzIT5QWM1_9nvf4Q/s1600/IMG_20130227_193158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiWWZjprGNWFcgW_mfnce_-7RdruuySQ-pFOH15kj1iNDftmE63kTcz70P81DDNGXf-FyUeMUzMCIk2DjklwQm-d3bSRgdo5PhYwQ8QurTwOaPn5X8oDdz4Ij8zbzIT5QWM1_9nvf4Q/s400/IMG_20130227_193158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One final bit of housekeeping for the night: I HIT MY PEDAL FOR PENNIES FUNDRAISING GOAL! </div>
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I'm turning 30 in a few months. I am so excited for it. One of the things I'm enjoying most about getting a bit older is being more cognizant of how important my friends and family are in my life. Thank you so much to everyone who donated to Pedal for Pennies. Thank you to everyone who takes the minutes out of their day to drop into my world for a bit. It really does mean a lot. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-408459135507449222013-03-01T18:15:00.001-05:002013-03-01T18:15:12.664-05:00Fun-A-Day 2013 Art Show: I've Got a Thing In It!I have been a pitiful blogger lately. Blame the cold. Seriously. Blame it. I'm over winter.<br />
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Fortunately Fun-A-Day 2013 kept me from succumbing to January doldrums! Check out the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/417688484981168/">Fun-A-Day Art Show TONIGHT! (Friday, March 1) at Roboto on Penn during Unblurred</a>. You'll see the thing I made, and some really insanely awesome things other people made.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-80319781583259474272013-02-20T13:00:00.000-05:002013-02-20T13:00:06.267-05:00Knitting the Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm happy to report that I completed my #funaday2013 project! I'll have details about where and when you can view the final product - along with other amazing #funaday2013 projects - in an upcoming post. Today, we cover the next project I'm set to tackle. Another involving knitting. I'm making a panel for <a href="http://knitthebridge.wordpress.com/">Knit the Bridge</a>!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzCYJpPvp-ZCg9rcuVyiSFiZwbz7xx6w4UTGdH-pNyKYvNjfEBVGzcvxHaLFOU2AARpWJett6xNaNK7AmCDHNEGbEtRG6d7qN_yDop_KDzmvZUk2djg-H5a_pgvmMa2IFJnZ8thbGFg/s1600/IMG_20130205_200925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzCYJpPvp-ZCg9rcuVyiSFiZwbz7xx6w4UTGdH-pNyKYvNjfEBVGzcvxHaLFOU2AARpWJett6xNaNK7AmCDHNEGbEtRG6d7qN_yDop_KDzmvZUk2djg-H5a_pgvmMa2IFJnZ8thbGFg/s400/IMG_20130205_200925.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very beginning of my panel.</td></tr>
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This is a larger undertaking than I initially realized, but I am determined to get it done. The deadline for panels is listed as Spring/Summer 2013. Let's hope it's more summer than spring. I've got a lot of knitting to do!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzOFTADVbUN1f34PX7KfAf-AmuZY1eJ3gzPVIayxPsZfK_4lSuA1cDLQZ6kwY7hwEbMxaiCG1D7KKE3HQMDJd2kMKosqKmz0S3CXsuY_uWcbkHUkNji53PZJ1jZgKi8stBTcv2e9hxQ/s1600/IMG_20130209_200703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzOFTADVbUN1f34PX7KfAf-AmuZY1eJ3gzPVIayxPsZfK_4lSuA1cDLQZ6kwY7hwEbMxaiCG1D7KKE3HQMDJd2kMKosqKmz0S3CXsuY_uWcbkHUkNji53PZJ1jZgKi8stBTcv2e9hxQ/s400/IMG_20130209_200703.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One good thing about winter: lots of nights with The West Wing and a big ol' ball of yarn.</td></tr>
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Just how much larger of an undertaking? Let's do the math. The finished panel will be 34 in x 72 in - and that's a total of 2,448 sq in. As you can see below, I've finished one stripe in my panel already. I've got a second stripe in the works. The knitting I've completed so far totals 309 sq in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ2tqTs49TOvMD737y2hZOZ3Zb2SeJbkmLzBRJ21Pwaktq5zioxtIdMc7ehfvl79FNoLbu7iNqz4c79cKWLaNtIP07gCtT9FcwoWfuUoTUuflW4ZyWvvNuo0pDSBXEpZJIymL2wSO1Q/s1600/IMG_20130209_210724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQ2tqTs49TOvMD737y2hZOZ3Zb2SeJbkmLzBRJ21Pwaktq5zioxtIdMc7ehfvl79FNoLbu7iNqz4c79cKWLaNtIP07gCtT9FcwoWfuUoTUuflW4ZyWvvNuo0pDSBXEpZJIymL2wSO1Q/s400/IMG_20130209_210724.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Only 2,139 sq in to go... Wish me luck. I am definitely going to need it!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-89755556331403211502013-02-18T13:00:00.000-05:002013-02-18T13:00:01.181-05:00EvBetPGH Instagram: February 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've passed the halfway-through-February point! We're less than a month away from Daylight Savings! It's continually staying lighter later! Sure, out my window Gross Street may have a coating of snow right now, meaning getting groceries today may take walking instead of biking (considerably more annoying of a task when it takes three times as long to walk). But! We're nearing the end of the long, gray, dark tunnel of winter in Pittsburgh. Soon more outdoor adventures will happen. Soon long bike rides will be possible. Soon leisurely walks of discovery will return.</div>
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The older I get, the grumpier I get about winter. I'm okay with that. This year I've enjoyed a bit of a hibernation, which causes fewer posts here, but more time daydreaming about all the awesome things to come in 2013 when it doesn't hurt to be outside. [NOTE: I love hot weather, so summer does not really bother me much.]</div>
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In lieu of anything actually happening of PGH-related note in my life the past couple weeks, here's a smattering of the things I found myself doing in the first half of February. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNKHdceoWLKwcumyA1FlYtBHIfhpUMtApUnhrTVQ0LYYyATGGeU22QNl_ADSNjw0vxa-uucGkhn-paJYdM9K4RtdhPfZLAZ5nA_vhHObLy82dtnJLKRKyMkV9euzDmBZpM5wZ0i0DQg/s1600/IMG_20130212_212409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNKHdceoWLKwcumyA1FlYtBHIfhpUMtApUnhrTVQ0LYYyATGGeU22QNl_ADSNjw0vxa-uucGkhn-paJYdM9K4RtdhPfZLAZ5nA_vhHObLy82dtnJLKRKyMkV9euzDmBZpM5wZ0i0DQg/s400/IMG_20130212_212409.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on my first PGH Filmmakers assignment! More to come from this later. The pictures and negatives are currently in the teacher's hands for grading. Grading! Getting learned is weird!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7slWmaurl4_Whk_kMsjggcWdgWN4Un6kdsesuHt3qvZ29Hjf_Xx_ZnxVrQjE7Da8C9DT6yVWyVIGkOXL2Hzit4ErBJF-55x8lLa-vxPUZzc80O4LEKFCX9COSmMODh5hbEhVDoKVsA/s1600/IMG_20130213_174242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7slWmaurl4_Whk_kMsjggcWdgWN4Un6kdsesuHt3qvZ29Hjf_Xx_ZnxVrQjE7Da8C9DT6yVWyVIGkOXL2Hzit4ErBJF-55x8lLa-vxPUZzc80O4LEKFCX9COSmMODh5hbEhVDoKVsA/s400/IMG_20130213_174242.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a legitimate t-shirt you could purchase. At the Army-Navy store on Liberty downtown. I am doing everything in my power to keep this from ending up in my dresser drawer, but I can't promise anything.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW5s_sUELSnoRRLnwjMJaoJSqJZkMwOoXGbpMCU-80SmTtbGZI6jGoLshuk4rb5QtVIuhFmXERCQy9I7hPXN5pQ_vI0K8nU1nOO4jS3hL0STrJVUfhhCVpSKTsL0Yz9vqjFBjKZQ5WA/s1600/IMG_20130213_192159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicW5s_sUELSnoRRLnwjMJaoJSqJZkMwOoXGbpMCU-80SmTtbGZI6jGoLshuk4rb5QtVIuhFmXERCQy9I7hPXN5pQ_vI0K8nU1nOO4jS3hL0STrJVUfhhCVpSKTsL0Yz9vqjFBjKZQ5WA/s400/IMG_20130213_192159.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler Kennedy was my Valentine. I'm okay with that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFba-Ptind0dOSfrPKCyRfjNqjzfRyb0TTMHbm7196E3si9G32VDFZ9K3G7uLVrS0niqIkXOSITUyujbabUhk5rcrm_n0D-JE-xYiSpUuatE_RBV4JeLRlQEsp9lwy2wXZs2ia9EshzA/s1600/IMG_20130215_075611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFba-Ptind0dOSfrPKCyRfjNqjzfRyb0TTMHbm7196E3si9G32VDFZ9K3G7uLVrS0niqIkXOSITUyujbabUhk5rcrm_n0D-JE-xYiSpUuatE_RBV4JeLRlQEsp9lwy2wXZs2ia9EshzA/s400/IMG_20130215_075611.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">PHIL COLLINS DAY HAPPENED! There are few days during the year when I wake up feeling pointedly excited. Phil Collins Day is one of them. I celebrated with friends who love me enough to indulge my weird obsession. For them, I am grateful.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zyEgaJCdab1tK7-7MYablsutn0OqufWL3uewFxi59Mzv6Z3Zac0XugBb0LXNBFnt6nrVB3b-UMRkQ0UReFnuTjv2sMDMHTDeFS8WK-3IJx469buxwjU591RLO8rcSDUqysq9IR0EXQ/s1600/IMG_20130215_215239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zyEgaJCdab1tK7-7MYablsutn0OqufWL3uewFxi59Mzv6Z3Zac0XugBb0LXNBFnt6nrVB3b-UMRkQ0UReFnuTjv2sMDMHTDeFS8WK-3IJx469buxwjU591RLO8rcSDUqysq9IR0EXQ/s400/IMG_20130215_215239.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When things in my life just make sense: dinos in the Land of Confusion video, something watched countless times during my youth. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGMLk662XY_ajntvhccw25YdjNCH9Yf8xy0qw6qkwh0hPtZ2_1qHKRPiyRE0goYy1ZbESv3nO1GPRRE9z3J2V-x9ZT-hz4VtCxINyjTKJnNEwrE4G5kg2qC5i5rv_YGLJXcFnSOtrww/s1600/IMG_20130216_172005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcGMLk662XY_ajntvhccw25YdjNCH9Yf8xy0qw6qkwh0hPtZ2_1qHKRPiyRE0goYy1ZbESv3nO1GPRRE9z3J2V-x9ZT-hz4VtCxINyjTKJnNEwrE4G5kg2qC5i5rv_YGLJXcFnSOtrww/s400/IMG_20130216_172005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Saturday a bunch of us caravanned out to Greensburg where we helped one friend's parents move. I have never moved a whole house before! Only ever apartments. It was an exhausting and fun day. It made the excitement about potential homebuying in the not-too-distant future return to my brain in full force. </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-6186839237801744952013-02-09T19:47:00.000-05:002013-02-09T19:50:39.703-05:00Saturdays with Jerry: A Trip to Jerry's Records<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This afternoon Corey and I worked on our first assignment for our Filmmakers course. Carrie and Allie were our willing photography subjects. I ran Allie around and up and down the Hillman Library for mine. Corey's took us to Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill. It's been a while since I'd been there. I don't have a record player (I live in 2013 and there is Spotify and that's just easier), so record shopping is not a high priority. Though, I do buy records. Specifically Phil Collins records. They're scattered throughout my apartment. Which is creepy, I know.</div>
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I'm sure it's news to no one that Jerry's is the place for anyone with any interest in buying records to enjoy. The place is almost cave-like, with a near claustrophobic stairway into the main space. When explored further, there are more rooms and cramped hallways with records packed onto shelves. Here are some photos I took while wandering. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F-WD6sbG7YtEwQ_sElAGgQNy5W1G2zS2bKU1o1YKPCzhZPWMHokkxLV034xLnBnf02uLHdz_vKu-OfUsACemJVBllomr21SBJgsIGIF0-kBUZHErVarbSlBZjqO6y6jA7Y8QeQCQWg/s1600/IMG_20130209_154500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F-WD6sbG7YtEwQ_sElAGgQNy5W1G2zS2bKU1o1YKPCzhZPWMHokkxLV034xLnBnf02uLHdz_vKu-OfUsACemJVBllomr21SBJgsIGIF0-kBUZHErVarbSlBZjqO6y6jA7Y8QeQCQWg/s400/IMG_20130209_154500.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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Ah, yes. The Belly Dancing records.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7GJ64d8dpUVPDkycia2iXZRPL5oq9sMt5i2r2KoTmy-cNVvimJym_-n2tkAHhmS9dIK1jFqpvCwqWKAqyx3r69a0SWO6s0Cse4ZYNGfl_w9jFQoZUQzAoV7fMdKuclJRlyy88K10ww/s1600/IMG_20130209_152947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7GJ64d8dpUVPDkycia2iXZRPL5oq9sMt5i2r2KoTmy-cNVvimJym_-n2tkAHhmS9dIK1jFqpvCwqWKAqyx3r69a0SWO6s0Cse4ZYNGfl_w9jFQoZUQzAoV7fMdKuclJRlyy88K10ww/s400/IMG_20130209_152947.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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I would buy a record player to be able to play ridiculous records solely from the Horror section.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQRE1mjsDjeCd4s48Aif4I1ukqvBQXyO8BFzAIzNw1zfLyjqnH53irN-onqXISswQW5XqKaKqjk7efeiGJQK2Z9nhg1ODk1cq2AhbMFbSdde6Qgwn3j15NdNjyfL84PpdSXahWKk7qw/s1600/IMG_20130209_151518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQRE1mjsDjeCd4s48Aif4I1ukqvBQXyO8BFzAIzNw1zfLyjqnH53irN-onqXISswQW5XqKaKqjk7efeiGJQK2Z9nhg1ODk1cq2AhbMFbSdde6Qgwn3j15NdNjyfL84PpdSXahWKk7qw/s400/IMG_20130209_151518.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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Oh, and I'd play all the Phil Collins records.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUV777OfFPXfZLlNBMybBjrs95MptoDsh27nGTPql-rmdtGkcwUzfrmc4uo-8OxPKOMKWheZMcaaK0E7n5tjHu9bYiHCyExCtbo5FYqlm1tZZ6UNe5pSnFgqEqmFsr32EjBeu_1qU1g/s1600/IMG_20130209_154830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoUV777OfFPXfZLlNBMybBjrs95MptoDsh27nGTPql-rmdtGkcwUzfrmc4uo-8OxPKOMKWheZMcaaK0E7n5tjHu9bYiHCyExCtbo5FYqlm1tZZ6UNe5pSnFgqEqmFsr32EjBeu_1qU1g/s400/IMG_20130209_154830.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYI2DKD7RnbeiCgzRsTR1zBQJM-bcAHRRH5wltetslNHpaEMYQ7vcaZ-oRPknabe7WZ10qmo0EvmetdQnuj_wJ__e1Ck17j1lKzJGy4SPci6R_qLLvghCjik_dcBQ7-Ib0T6ygH1JsA/s1600/IMG_20130209_155357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYI2DKD7RnbeiCgzRsTR1zBQJM-bcAHRRH5wltetslNHpaEMYQ7vcaZ-oRPknabe7WZ10qmo0EvmetdQnuj_wJ__e1Ck17j1lKzJGy4SPci6R_qLLvghCjik_dcBQ7-Ib0T6ygH1JsA/s400/IMG_20130209_155357.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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Only found two "Canada" records. O, America.</div>
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Enjoy? I'm on Instagram as <a href="http://instagram.com/everythingbetterpgh">everythingbetterpgh</a>. Feel free to follow for more peeks into what catches my eye around town.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5421025477810105509.post-17717029713646437662013-02-07T13:00:00.000-05:002013-02-07T13:00:02.517-05:00Take a Walk: In the Snow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last Sunday I had a lot of walking to do. I had to return something to Filmmakers. And then I had to trek from Bloomfield to Regent Square to meet up with Zack and Kate for an afternoon adventure. I didn't get past East Liberty though, as our exciting plans were sadly cancelled. I intended to take pictures throughout my snowy Sunday walk, but as I didn't get very far before turning back home, I only have a couple photos to share. Fortunately, they're both excellent.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0_Iq7mwFX1aY9A82d9P0RUyD8pzSkFcdWThaSrM4OzD04XR4FRX09jUO7MDxj0SRGVWzIMvKj-WkCYTMlOiD_8VyTNNFghxBnQmpZ5K9FEvV1A7lxhTiwrtQzSB7pZyMOV75_95I_Q/s1600/IMG_20130203_111010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0_Iq7mwFX1aY9A82d9P0RUyD8pzSkFcdWThaSrM4OzD04XR4FRX09jUO7MDxj0SRGVWzIMvKj-WkCYTMlOiD_8VyTNNFghxBnQmpZ5K9FEvV1A7lxhTiwrtQzSB7pZyMOV75_95I_Q/s400/IMG_20130203_111010.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken on Melwood, down the road from Filmmakers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YI0t-RY9iYMQ541BrR_1yVUeka9szY8wuwRdLYb7hhCZYPDAN8p00AJmY9I_e40_1calhluBrcWfzS6GrzmC1Q5EseZdkS2YSJ-oQIJdpbhLIw0Y6vuxQ2iRhyphenhyphenJnQpMzqlxBb0kbOw/s1600/IMG_20130203_105637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YI0t-RY9iYMQ541BrR_1yVUeka9szY8wuwRdLYb7hhCZYPDAN8p00AJmY9I_e40_1calhluBrcWfzS6GrzmC1Q5EseZdkS2YSJ-oQIJdpbhLIw0Y6vuxQ2iRhyphenhyphenJnQpMzqlxBb0kbOw/s400/IMG_20130203_105637.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robot on the Millvale Ave bridge into North Oakland.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0