Seriously, Winter?

Seriously, winter?

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 all melted away. I could've biked home. Instead, I was back on the bus, staring out the window and dreaming of not being on the bus. 

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.

I made my art debut last Friday!

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.

After Roboto we checked out Ava for a drink while we waited for our table at BRGR.

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. 

One final bit of housekeeping for the night: I HIT MY PEDAL FOR PENNIES FUNDRAISING GOAL! 

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. 

Fun-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.

Fortunately Fun-A-Day 2013 kept me from succumbing to January doldrums! Check out the Fun-A-Day Art Show TONIGHT! (Friday, March 1) at Roboto on Penn during Unblurred. You'll see the thing I made, and some really insanely awesome things other people made.

Read All About It: Assemble Daily News

If you're a follower of Eric Lidji's Ongoing History of Pittsburgh, you may have already caught your sneak peek about what's about to hit Penn Ave's Assemble gallery this Friday:

Assemble Daily News

The project, devised and executed by Eric, is also best described by Eric. Here's my favorite part of the description: Assemble Daily News aims to be a legitimate news operation, meaning it will report on actual events in an accurate and timely manner. But it won't be a conventional news operation. Instead of covering organizations, zoning or crime, it will report on moments, specifically the enlightening, interesting and revealing moments celebrated on this [The Ongoing History of Pittsburgh] site. Because these tiny moments are sometimes too fragile for words alone, Assemble Daily News will use drawings, notes, and a gigantic map to piece together a picture of daily life. 

Your first chance to check out Assemble Daily News is Friday, September 7, 2012, during Unblurred. Here are four more of my favorite sneak peeks that Eric has leaked on his site:

I can't wait to see the finished/in-progress project on Friday night. Come out and support a great guy and a great venue on Friday night. And, who knows, maybe you'll become a news story over the next month if you're in the Friendship/Bloomfield area. 

Penn Ave for the Newly in Town: Unblurred February 2012

A couple weeks ago, my good friend Pam asked me if I would act as a PGH Ambassador and take a few of her friends around - one of whom had just moved here. I was tickled to have been considered a worthy PGH guide and happily accepted. Fortunately, the planning of activities for Friday night was super easy as it was the first Friday of the month, meaning Unblurred was happening just up the street. Free art, free beer, and a Spak pizza or two were undoubtedly in our future.

Our first stop, as my Unblurred experiences tend to always go, was at Modern Formations. The new show, "The Word Made Flesh" was right up my alley. Skeletons and internal organs painted/printed onto old Bible pages adorned the walls. I was instantly jealous and started to brainstorm a way to make the skeletons a reality in my apartment somewhere.



After a quick stop at Most Wanted Fine Art (where Mr. Eric Lidji's Reading Allowed event happens on February 22!) we entered Assemble for a fun and interactive show ¡CREAR Y COMUNICAR! where we drew self-portraits, made a flag, and sketched out our favorite things to do every day.

My self-portrait. On the back of which, I was instructed to write down a wish.

Funny and true!

One of my guests drew the one on blue paper.

This one made me smile.

The last activity we did we made a flag, for what would presumably my country? An orange stripe, a dinosaur, and a bike. That's about all a country needs to be successful.

There is no limit to the amount of pleasure I get from charming art like this.

I believe my guests for the evening enjoyed the event, and came away with a nice little impression of one of my favorite regular Pittsburgh events.