RIP PIG - 6/30/13

Guys. I am sad.



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.

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.

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.















Sigh. I'm sad to see him go. Good luck in San Jose, TK.

Canada Road Trip: The Pig's Town and Bug Hell

When 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.

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.

TK - if you ever see this, I do truly enjoy you and cheer for you in earnest.

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.

Skip ahead to 1:10 to watch what made me choose Tyler Kennedy as my favorite Penguin. Adorable.

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.

I propose a change to this! Take out "naturally gifted"; sub in "where it's really nice."

There was a large table.

So we sat at it and drank our Tim Horton's.

Hello, America! (Our phones actually worked in Sault Ste. Marie cause we were so so close!)

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.

One of the trading posts we stopped into felt quite like home.

This is like Final Destination: Canada...

Here is Rob, in his "bug hell" attire, at Lake Ivanhoe.

Grilled cheese for dinner.

Beautiful, but also buggy as hell.

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. 

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.

Rough name, 'lil northern Canadian town.

We cannot be sure this is the world's largest, because it was quite underwhelming. The nickel was like four times this size.

We had another night of camping ahead, before it was back to civilization, onward to Ottawa.

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013: No More O Canadas.

Let's get the important business out of the way first.

I have a new playoff t-shirt.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Crosby Hat Trick

James Neal Hat Trick

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...

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO. Seriously. 

EvBetPGH Instagram: February 2013

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.

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.]

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. 

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!

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.

Tyler Kennedy was my Valentine. I'm okay with that.

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.

When things in my life just make sense: dinos in the Land of Confusion video, something watched countless times during my youth. 

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. 

Filmed in PGH: She's Out of My League

On the list of things that I am a sucker for, romantic comedies may lead the pack. I can appreciate filmmakers like Katherine Bigelow and Quentin Tarantino, but I struggle with their movies because I just don't want to watch them. Sometimes I feel like regular life is stressful enough. I'd much rather pay money for some lighthearted entertainment, and when it comes in the form of a movie like She's Out My League, well that's just fine.

I saw this movie with friends in Boston, pretty soon after it came out. I admit that its "filmed in Pittsburgh" quality was a driving force in getting everyone to agree to see it. A few weeks before it appeared in theaters, I had made the decision to move back to Pittsburgh. I was nearing the beginning of the end of my five years there, and I can remember sitting in the theater seeing my home on the screen and feeling like it was officially within my reach. I just kept thinking: "I'll be there soon."

As I sat down to watch this last weekend, I did so with a pen and a pad of paper. In lieu of a formal review, here are my thoughts:

- Jay Baruchel = Canadian. And, as I was watching the opening scene, I couldn't help but think he could play Tyler Kennedy in the Tyler Kennedy Movie. (Which obviously will happen some day.)

- First Pittsburgh site on screen: the airport. Next we get a sweeping shot of downtown. Then there's a party at the Warhol. I can't help but have fun watching a Filmed in PGH movie and picking out all the places I've been or places I know.

- Hockey! There's a scene of this movie at a Penguins game, in the Igloo. Now that the Pens have been in Consol for a couple seasons, the newness is beginning to feel more like normalness. So to see the Igloo from high above and then from under its retractable shell made me feel a bit of sad nostalgia. In other news. Hockey is back! Hockey is back!

- Patrick Jordan is in this movie. When I saw it in the theater, I didn't know this and because I'm easily excitable I may have shouted "I know him!" 

- One of the dates takes place in Market Square, before its renovation. There's a nice romantic scene where Kirk and Molly have a chat on a bench outside of Primanti's with its neon lights glowing.

- Jack Reacher had its dizzying car chases that geographically made no sense. She's Out of My League threw me for a loop when people entered a party through Brillobox's front door, but the party took place inside of Thunderbird. 

I adore this movie. It's a great story with many funny bits. It's a lovely showcase for my fine city too. Two thumbs up. 10/10 Bridges.

And CONGRATULATIONS on scoring the Pens' first goal of the season!

Go Pig Go.