Rants-With some raves thrown in for good measure

Song, dance....Steeler jerseys?

2010-09-13T10:24:00.004-04:00

Going to the theater is not like going to the movies. Each performance is different. You cannot go out and buy a DVD of the performance and watch it later. Seeing a performance from high in the balcony is different from seeing it at the orchestra level. And even if you see the same show several times, each time will be a different experience.

Last night I saw "The Phantom of the Opera" for the gazillionth time. (I think it might have been the eighth time.) And, while I loved the show, the audience made me want to scream.

It's more noticeable with popular shows like "Phantom" and "Wicked," but it's started creeping into more and more performances: The rude audience members who seem to don't know theater etiquitte.

I can overlook the way people dress, as long as they're dressed neatly. So, you in your jeans and T-shirt, you're okay. I can even overlook you in your Steelers jersey. I mean, there was a game right before the show.

It was the candy-unwrapping, drink-slurping, gum-snapping, texting, photo-taking, and getting up during the performance that drove me nuts!

These things annoy me during the movies as well, but at least you know that you can see the movie again. Also, it can disturb the performers on stage. You do know that the show is being done live in front of you? Seeing how many people act, I am guessing that they don't realize that.

And the theater staff has become too scared of angry patrons that they are afraid to enforce many theater rules, so those of us who are frequent theater-goers are stuck dealing with these awful people.

I use the dirty look. It doesn't usually work. When I saw Wicked a couple years ago, the dirty look didn't work on a woman who was loudly eating next to us. But a woman in front of us actually turned around and said, "Do you mind? Some of us are trying to watch a show." I was surprised when the loud-eater put away her candy (angrily) and was quiet the rest of the performance. Although she did loudly complain at the end of the show about the "rude" lady who dared to tell her to quit eating!

There are times and places to be rude. Since when has it become okay to be rude whenever and wherever you want? I've seen it everywhere, but, please, could we try to keep it out of the theater?

What unemployment has taught me

2010-05-31T10:59:00.003-04:00

I've been without a full-time position for almost a year. I've learned a bit about myself in that time:

I don't mind being a stay-at-home mom. My daughter has become my life. I love reading to her, even if she wants to read the same book a dozen times in a row. I love teaching her new things. I love playing with her. I love to listen to her learn how to talk. I love cuddling with her before naptime. She has kept me grounded. And I thank her for that.

Freelancing is not for me. I'll do it because I have to keep my resume current, but I really am not a fan of freelancing. I need an office setting to keep me focused. And with the little one home, I've got a small window in which to work. And because I am at home, I always seem to have some sort of chore I need to do: laundry, dishes, dinner, grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. Plus, I would recommend if you want to freelance while on unemployment, try to find some sort of under-the-table gig. Apparently you can't freelance while on unemployment. I got caught because I reported my wages (like you are supposed to). I will be losing unemployment.

My last full-time job did not prepare me for new media. I actually already knew this one. I desperately tried to get them to let me take on new responsibilities that included social media. They didn't agree that the communications department was where those things should be handled(!). And now I believe it is hurting me. Even though I know social media, because it wasn't part of my responsibilities at my last job, no one wants to take a chance on me.

Day care cost a lot of money. We haven't had to pay for day care since I was laid off. And we learned that even though on unemployment I was making less than half what I was making at my last job, we were doing just fine. But now we know what the minimum amount of money I have to make, as long as we don't have to pay for day care. Lucky my mom is retired.

So those are a few things. I'm heading back to work now. I got a full-time job in retail. It's good, and it's bad. I'll be making a little more than I did on unemployment, but I'll be working some evenings and weekends. I'm working, but it's not in my field. I'll continue to look for a job in communications. I'll take on freelance gigs here and there. I'll keep keepin'on.

A note on reaching me.

2010-05-19T10:56:00.002-04:00

Why do hiring managers insist on calling cell phones? I list my home phone number as my primary number for a reason. I don't get very good cell phone service in my house, and I don't carry my cell phone with me around the house. So I don't always hear when it rings. And I'm at home at least 80 percent or more of my waking day. And when I'm at home, I tend not to check my cell. Not on purpose. It just slips my mind to check it.

So, if you want to reach me, e-mail is best. But if you want to actually talk to me, try my home phone first. If I don't answer, leave a message then try the cell. Chances are I'm at home but changing a diaper or making a meal or doing some chore. I can hear that phone ring. We have phones upstairs and downstairs. I will check the caller ID. I will check the answering machine. I'll call you right back. If I'm not at home, then my cell is then on me, and I'll answer.

This blogging thing

2010-03-26T16:44:00.004-04:00

I realize I need to get a regular schedule going for my blogging. And I also realize I need to have some sort of direction. This blog is my random thought blog. Years ago I started a blog in my cat's name and in her voice. It was very creative, but I lost interest in it quickly. I started a portfolio blog. I stopped that one once I set up a portfolio Web site (www.elizabethfulton-pr.com).

I need to have a focused blog. I need ideas. Any ideas out there?

Optimism and fresh air

2010-03-11T13:49:00.004-05:00

It feels like spring.

The air is warm. The sun is shining. There is a threat of rain.

It's the best time of the year.

Everything seems new and optimistic. The sun makes the stress melt away.

My daughter sits in her stroller with her sunglasses on, smiling and barking back at the dogs as we take a walk around the neighborhood. Her bad mood and teething pain has seemed to disappear.

I open a window for the cat. She breathes in the fresh air and gives me an appreciative meow.

And even though the snow is still on the ground in patches and the grass is brown and muddy, everything about the day screams spring and all it represents.

A tale of two dos

2010-03-09T19:39:00.004-05:00

Except for one really bad short perm back in middle school, I had long hair throughout my younger years. I'm talking about really long hair. I usually kept it waist-length.

That all changed while I was in college. I had friends who were hairstylists. I let one cut my hair to just past my shoulders. And the other I let have his way with my hair one day. And that was my first real foray into shorter hair.

Now I go back and forth between cutting all my hair off and spending years growing it out. It's been this way for the past 14 years.

I mention this because I've recently cut my hair short again after having had hair halfway down my back for the past three years. I was very excited. And I was very happy. Then it happened.

Someone said it made me look older and like a mom.

It was something a 33-year-old woman does not want to hear. It was very insulting. I've been dwelling on it ever since.

The mom comment didn't bother me as much because I am a mom. But it made me wonder if people thought I looked like a mom 10 years ago when I had a similar haircut.

And now I almost wish I hadn't cut my hair. I'm looking for a job. The last thing I need is to look older. Sexism and ageism exist. Attractive women in their 20s have better chances of getting a job when all other factors are equal.

And this is very illogical. I had more compliments on my haircut than anything else. Only one person was mean. I should trust the compliments. But one little comment makes me insane and obsessed. So I'm writing about it, hoping that venting will bring my mind a little peace.

You decide:

before

after

A curious glossary of British recipe terminology

2010-02-07T11:26:00.001-05:00

Some years ago I bought a cookbook off the bargain rack at the bookstore. I was attracted by all the pretty pictures of food. Every recipe had a picture. And there are 1,000 recipes!

Available on Amazon

I've never made anything from it.*

The biggest problem has been that the cookbook was originally published in the U.K. They've translated the measurements, but they haven't translated some of the ingredients and some of the terminology is different. I'm sure some things are the same here, but I just have never heard of such a thing.

But being American, I'm confused and just never cooked anything out of the cookbook. I recently pulled the it out and decided to figure out what the heck some of these things are. I thought others may be interested. Some of the things I actually did know, but maybe others may not.

So, here goes:

Glossary

amaretti biscuits: An Italian almond-flavored cookie. Really, it's more of a macaroon. If you can't find any in the store and don't feel like making some (rec ipe he re), you can substitute with traditional Italian biscotti.

aubergine: eggplant

back bacon: Canadian bacon

bacon loin chops: I can't find an exact definition for this except that it is a cut of back bacon, which is similar to ham. see back bacon

bicarbonate of soda: baking soda

biscuit: In the U.S. we just call them cookies, but in the U.K. cookies are soft while biscuits are hard.

bouquet garni: herb mixture for meats and veggies; recipe here

caster sugar: superfine sugar; if you don't have superfine sugar on-hand, just throw some sugar into a food processor.

Christmas pudding: One recipe calls for Christmas pudding. Since that isn't common in the U.S., you can get a recipe here.

clear honey: plain ole honey we find in the bear container at the supermarket

conserve: In the U.S. a conserve is a jam with nuts and raisins mixed in. In the U.K. it seems to be interchangeable with preserves.

cornflour: While there is a such thing as flour made from corn, cornflour in the U.K. is what Americans refer to as cornstarch.

courgette: zucchini

curd cheese: cottage cheese

demerara sugar: raw cane sugar (Like Sugar in the Raw brand); in the U.S. it can be called turbinado sugar

digestive biscuit: a semi-sweet cookie; not easy to find in the U.S.; although not the same, a good substitute are graham crackers. When I read this ingredient, I started laughing because I thought of Alka-Seltzer. Turns out that was a great way to think of it because, according to Wikipedia, when digestive biscuits were developed, they were thought to be a good antacid. They have a high content of baking soda in them, which is how this thought originated.

double cream: cream with about 48 % butterfat; doesn't exist in the U.S., the highest you can get in the U.S. is heavy cream, which is about 40% butterfat

dragees: Apparently those little edible silver balls used on pastries have a name! They are illegal in California because some sue-happy guy wants everyone to know that it's harmful to ingest silver. Yeah, only if you ingest an insane amount! Here's a fun little thread to read discussing the issue. Oh, and since this guy has started his little mission, the FDA has started making manufacturers of dragees to label them as "non-edible" or "for decoration only." Because of all this, they might be hard to find. So, buy them on Amazon. Amazon won't ship them to California because they are illegal there, but the rest of us can still get them.

drop scones: pancakes

easy-blend dry yeast: rapid-rise yeast

essence: extract

fairy cake: cupcake

gammon: a type of British cured ham

golden syrup: a byproduct of the refining process from sugar cane juice to sugar; hard to find in the U.S.; Substitutes are dark corn syrup, maple syrup or light molasses. All have a different flavor than golden syrup, but will work.

Granary bread: bread made from Granary flour

Granary flour: a brand of flour in the U.K.; the flour is special because it is a brown flour with malted wheat grains; no substitution available in the States

groundnut oil: peanut oil

gum tragacanth: used as a thickener in gum paste. Wilton makes it under the name Gum-Tex, which can be found at Michael's in their cake-decorating section.

hand-hot: "Hand-hot is a bit warmer than you would expect. It should be as hot as a really warm bath. The one that leaves your face pink! (Try 30°C/86°F in summer, 40°C/104°F in winter as a guide.)" (source).

icing sugar: confectioner's or powdered sugar

liquid glucose: I read this and think about the diabetes test I had to take when I was pregnant. I drank this sugar water and they tested my blood sugar. It is similar, and you can find liquid glucose for medical reasons in the U.S. But, in Europe when called for in a recipe, it is actually a glucose syrup usually made from processing grapes or honey. It's hard to find in the U.S., but, luckily, it's easily substituted with light corn syrup.

mange-touts: snow peas

medium oatmeal: From what I've found, there are three grades of oat flour: coarse (steel-cut or pinhead) medium and fine. All of which are called oatmeal. In the States, we can get the coarse and fine grades, but not the medium grade. The most popular type of oatmeal in the U.S. is rolled oats. The best, although not perfect, advice I could find for a substitute would be to use rolled oats that have been put through a food processor. Another says to do the same thing to steel-cut oatmeal, but that might be too much for most food processors. If anybody has a better suggestion, let me know.

minced: ground (as in ground beef, ground lamb, ground turkey, etc.)

mincemeat: A mixture of fruit, spirits and sometimes meat. Since this might be a little hard to find already made in the States, you can find a recipe here. It's a recipe for mincemeat pie, but if you just need mincemeat, then just omit the crust.

mixed spice: a British spice blend that mixes sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice; also called pudding spice; can substitute with pumpkin pie spice

molasses: When the British refer to molasses, they actually are referring to blackstrap molasses. see treacle

molasses sugar: a sugar made from natural cane molasses; although not the same, interchangble with brown sugar

muscovado sugar: unrefined brown sugar; sometimes called Barbados sugar; hard to find in the U.S., can be substituted with a course brown sugar and adding a little molasses for moisture

plain chocolate: dark chocolate

plain flour: all-purpose flour

rasher: a slice of bacon

ratafia biscuit: a Scottish almond-flavored cookie; This cookie has a crazy history, including the fact that some of the original ingredients contain cyanide! You can make the cookie now without anything that may kill you. But you still may not be able to find some of the ingredients, so you may want to substitute with another almond-flavored cookie.

rocket: arugula

semi-skimmed milk: 1% or 2% milk

shortcrust pastry: pie crust

single cream: cream with about 10% butterfat; closest substitution in U.S. is half and half

soft cheese: In the U.S. soft cheese usually refers to cheeses like brie and bleu cheese, but in the U.K. it means cream cheese. In fact, most people in the U.K. just call it Philadelphia. So, that's a big tip-off: Philadelphia cream cheese. We have that here.

soya flour: soy flour

soya margarine: soy margarine

streaky bacon: The bacon found in most American grocery stores. Also can use pancetta.

strong flour: bread flour

sugarpaste icing: fondant

sultanas: golden raisins

sunflower margarine: margarine made of sunflower oil; not easily found in U.S. grocery stores. I would say it can be substituted with any margarine or butter. One recipe where it is used is a sunflower scone recipe, and I'm not sure if that would affect the taste. Use your own judgement.

swede: rudabaga

treacle: dark molasses see molasses

white vegetable fat: shortening

wholemeal flour: whole-wheat flour

*since starting the research for this blog entry, I made one recipe from the book: The Best-Ever American Burgers. They were very good.

Bras and supporting the troops are similar how?

2010-02-04T15:50:00.005-05:00

I recently saw this posted as someone's status on Facebook:

"Posting the color of your bra made the news but will this? It's time to show the world that more of us SUPPORT our Troops than not. If you support our Troops then please post this on your status and leave it there for one hour. And if you don't stand behind our Troops, then please feel free to STAND IN FRONT OF THEM......"

I would like to point out the reasons why the bra color thing made the news and this will not.

It's hateful. I stand behind the troops, but I respect those whose opinions are different than mine. News organizations only like support stuff that is fluffy or happy or, perhaps, contriversial. They don't like hateful.
The bra color thing was a good example of viral marketing. The statuses only were of colors. There was no explanation. Thus, it made people try to figure out what the heck it was all about. It created a buzz.
This status is typical of chain letter crap. Post this, pass it on .... or else. That doesn't make the news.
Finally, bras are much more interesting than supporting our troops. Sorry. It's the truth.

I have a lot to say about forwards in general, but I will save that for another day.

Thank you for listening.

It's nice, but not good.

2010-02-01T09:18:00.004-05:00

I'm sick of people looking at my unemployment as something "good" just because I now get to stay at home with my daughter.

I believe it's nice I get stay home with my daughter, but it isn't a good thing.

Because of my unemployment, I worry all the time. I'm not the worrier in my family. That would be my husband. Now my daughter is stuck with two worriers. That can't be good.

I no longer have health insurance. If I get sick, it will probably bankrupt us. That can't be good.

My self-esteem has taken a hit because I've been unemployed for so long. That can't be good.

Once I lose unemployment compensation, which is soon, and I cannot find a job soonthereafter, we may have to dip into savings. That can't be good.

I will have to go back to working part-time in retail if I can't find a job in my field. I was not a very happy person when I worked in retail. I also didn't work regular hours in retail. That can't be good.

If my husband and I could afford me to be a stay-at-home mom, we would do it. But the fact is that we really can't. So although it's nice being with my daughter, it's not a good thing.

I hope I don't get an ulcer

2010-01-29T08:40:00.004-05:00

The worst thing about being unemployed has been being without health and dental insurance. COBRA benefits were much more than we could afford. Being put on my husband's insurance cost too much. Individual coverage wasn't too bad, but more than we could spend.

I worry that my cold is actually the swine flu or strep throat. I worry that pain in my gut is more than just gas. I worry that I'm going to hurt myself or get really sick. I haven't had a refill on my inhaler for my asthma. I have exercise-induced asthma, so I've become more lazy.

I had to have a couple cavities filled recently. My husband wanted me to put it off. I told him I would rather pay for a couple fillings now than a root canal later. Luckily, the dentist is allowing me to make payments.

Something needs to be done about health care in this country. There needs to be a public option for people like me. Or it just needs to become more affordable so I don't have to worry so much. But, of course, the health care bills that have been passed have been so stripped down that they are pretty much worthless. I'm a cynic. Health care won't change in this country. I will continue to worry until I finally have a job that provides health insurance or pays enough that I can buy individual coverage.

Good luck to me.

Control

2009-11-24T14:09:00.003-05:00

I love Cesar Millan. His dog-training methods are so simple. It's all about being the one in control. The human is the leader of the pack, not the dog. Milan knows when owners won't follow through and the dog will never get better.

I'm mentioning this because I really wonder what the fascination is with pit bulls. A couple months back a neighbor came home with what looks to be a pit bull puppy. Another neighbor came home with a pit bull puppy just last week. It scares me a little.

The pit bull gets a bad rap. Pit bulls can be very good dogs. But they take a lot of work. The human must be in charge at all times. They are very strong dogs and the owner has to be able to handle a strong dog. Most people who own pit bulls shouldn't own pit bulls. They aren't willing to follow through with obedience training or they just don't have the muscle to control such a muscular animal.

So I don't blame the dog, I blame the humans. It doesn't matter what type of dog it is, I always blame the humans. The humans are also the reason why the puggles next door never stop barking!

I just hope and pray that these two neighbors are able to control their animals. We live on the same street as a playground, and I really don't want to see another child and another dog become another statistic.

On rejection

2009-10-27T14:20:00.003-04:00

I've been getting a lot of rejection letters and e-mails lately and have grown to hate this standard reason why they didn't interview me:

"It is our top priority to select a candidate who best matches the skills and experience required to excel in this position. While we were impressed with your qualifications, after careful consideration we have decided to pursue other options for this position."

Two reasons it's been driving me nuts. 1.) If you were impressed, why wasn't I interviewed? 2.) Some of these jobs have job descriptions which exactly match my skills and experience. So again, why wasn't I interviewed?

It makes no sense.

A few rejections have been pretty nice. A couple rejection e-mails from people with whom I had interviewed asked for my permission to pass on my resume to other people. Another decided to promote from within but strongly encouraged me to apply again when another position became available.

But no rejection has made me feel good.

This job search thing is so degrading sometimes.

Restrooms, little potties and wheelchairs

2009-09-29T16:40:00.006-04:00

Today's entry has to do with bathrooms -- public bathrooms, to be more specific. Since having a child, I've ended up having more issues dealing with public restrooms. Pre-child, a public restroom was just someplace to do your business and wash your hands. Maybe, on occasion, you'd wash your face or put on makeup in a public restroom. That's it. In and out. Since having a baby, it's become a lot more. Now it's also a place to take your child for a diaper change or perhaps to nurse. When they're older, you get to take them to use the potty.

One of the best bathrooms for parents with small children I've been in so far is on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Yes, the PA Turnpike. Recently, some of the service plazas have been rebuilt. In the new service plaza, the women's restroom (I can't speak for the men's) has "Mommy and Me" stalls. It's great! It has a big potty for Mommy and a little potty for the kid. Plus, it has a fold-down baby chair on the wall. Greatest idea since the advent of the family restroom!

I love these "Mommy and Me" stalls and family restrooms. It makes it a lot easier to answer nature's call when you have a baby or young children. You never want a young child to use the restroom alone, and sometimes Daddy has to take his daughter to the restroom and doesn't want to take her in the men's room. Plus, they tend to be big enough in which to take a stroller.

But I've noticed a problem.

I've noticed that several places that have family restrooms no longer provide changing tables in their regular restrooms. And since family restrooms tend to be small and only have one toilet, you're stuck waiting to change a diaper. Or you just give up and find a bench, floor or even the stroller to make the change. But the problem lies more in those who abuse the family restroom.

Just as many people who aren't handicapped abuse the handicapped stall of the restroom (which is only acceptable if there's a line), there are people who could use the regular restroom who use the family restroom. And the group guilty of this is -- those in wheelchairs.

This weekend, I had to wait in line for the family restroom because the women's restroom didn't have a changing table. Then, there was a woman in a wheelchair in the family restroom. And who got in line after me? Another woman in a wheelchair! Now, the women's restroom didn't have a wait and an empty handicapped stall, so I was incredulous! I wanted to point that out, but instead I waited for 10 minutes before I gave up.

It reminded me of an incident at the bank one day. There was a long line. A guy in a wheelchair came in and rolled right to the front of the line and cut to the next teller. There was some mumbling, but no one said anything because he was in a wheelchair. People are afraid to offend, even when they are in the right.

I'm all for providing access, but, seriously, being handicapped does not give you the right to do as you please and ignore common courtesy. Save the family restroom for those with young children. And the rest of will try to remember not to use the handicapped stall.

Polo shirt, dress shorts and....

2009-09-20T14:45:00.002-04:00

I don't have many issues when it comes to what people are wearing to church. As long as it's clean and presentable and isn't too terribly casual, I'm okay with it. So short shorts and tank tops are out, but I'm okay with a pair of jeans and a nice top.

Today I saw a man walk into church wearing something that seemed okay: A polo shirt and dress shorts. Then I saw his shoes: Crocs. The guy was wearing Crocs to church.

I have issues to begin with when it comes to Crocs. They are, by far, one of the ugliest shoe fashions ever invented. I guess they might be comfortable for some people. But that doesn't hide the fact that they are ugly.

And they are definitely inappropriate for church. They are up there with plain old flip flops. You know, dollar store beach flip flops, not the cute ones that are prettied up with beads, embroidery and flowers.

Crocs are for sitting on your boat going fishing and walking on the boardwalk at the beach. They're even okay for those who wait tables. They're a vacation shoe. They're an okay work shoe (although they're starting to be banned in some places as a work shoe). They're not for church.

That's my rant for the day. Don't even get me started on how stupid the Crocs looked with his polo shirt and belted dress pants.

Job searching

2009-09-17T14:14:00.004-04:00

I'm growing weary of the job search, but I keep plugging away. A couple of years ago, I would've already gotten a job. There is just too much competition.

And phone interviews....

I hate phone interviews....

I've never had to do more phone interviews in my life. I know it's a screening to weed out all the resumes before bringing in people for actual interviews, but I hate it. I don't like not being able to read the person to whom I'm talking.

I'm still looking.

The plan is to continue looking. My husband and I are doing some pro bono work for a couple of places. He's designing Web sites. I'm writing content. It's resume material. Once my daughter is weaned, I'm going to start doing some volunteer work to get myself out of the house. I know a couple organizations that are always looking for help with public relations and events. My cousin has offered to take me to a networking group with which she's involved. Maybe it's finally time to be my own boss.

Pride

2009-09-17T13:46:00.004-04:00

My daughter had her 12 month doctor appointment today. Everything went well. Her height and weight are steady. Her development is right on target. The doctor was happy with everything. She even told me, "It's nice to deal with a baby that isn't chunky. Evidence shows that chunky babies tend to be obese adults." The nurse praised me for keeping up with her well-child visits, saying, "You wouldn't believe how many people don't." Other than the shots and bloodwork, it ended up being a very nice visit.

Weaning has been going well. The mid-morning feeding has been phased out. She hasn't even missed it. And I have lots of pride in the fact that I made it a year. According to the CDC, only about 17 percent of babies are breastfed through an entire year. Greta and I are in the minority. And she was exclusively breastfed through six months. That's pretty rare as well. Even though solid foods aren't recommended until six months, so many parents (and doctors tell them to!) start solids at four months. I guess it's okay to start at four months, but it's not recommended.

I think people feed their babies too much. There's a reason nearly 33 percent of children in this country are obese. It starts young. But I've covered this before.

Weaning

2009-09-05T14:43:00.002-04:00

My daughter will be a year old in a little more than a week. Ever since I started her on solids, I've done everything to her pace. Baby-led weaning it's called.

And we are already down to only four (sometimes five) 10-minute nursings a day. She is getting less and less interested in breastfeeding. And that's good. I won't have to quit cold turkey, and she won't be traumatized by the whole process. In a couple weeks I hope to phase out another nursing. Following her lead, I will not ask or offer to nurse. But I will nurse if she gives me the signs that she wants to nurse. I think I will start with the mid-morning nursing. It seems to be the one she's the least interested in. She may not even notice.

It's a bittersweet time. Bitter because she is growing more independent. Bitter because we won't have that intimate time together anymore. Bitter because she is no longer a baby. Sweet because of all the breast issues. I won't have to deal with being engorged anymore. No more leaking. No more clogged milk ducts. I'll be able to sleep on my stomach again (this is related to the clogged ducts). Normal-sized boobs. Regular bras!!!!

So, my baby girl is becoming a little girl. Such is life.

I am forced to be a stay-at-home mom

2009-09-05T14:40:00.003-04:00

The day after my last post I was laid off. So I am unemployed. I've been doing the stay-at-home mom deal while I plow on with a job search. I still don't like being with my daughter 24/7. I need that time away from her. But I will say that she is the only thing that has kept me sane these couple months. If I didn't have her, I'd probably be wallowing in self-pity and loneliness.

Raspberries

2009-06-25T10:50:00.002-04:00

My daughter and my husband had me cracking up in the car last night.

My daughter is nine months old and is extremely verbal. We can't understand a word she's saying, but her babbling is a wonderful sound. She also loves making raspberries. Ever since she learned how to do it before she was even three months old, she has been having fun blowing air through her lips and sticking out her tongue and getting very wet in the process.

On the way home from Grandma's last night, Baby Girl started making very loud raspberries. My husband, in response, began making them right back at her. She'd pause a second, smile and raspberry again. They did this all the way home (about a 15 minute drive). It made me laugh.

Happiness is raspberries in stereo.

Jon & Kate + 8

2009-06-23T14:10:00.001-04:00

The only question I have for Kate Gosselin after watching the "Big Announcement" last night is "Why do your 5 year olds still wear bibs?"

New Kids on the Block

2009-06-22T13:43:00.003-04:00

Today's irk has to do with New Kids on the Block. Not the band itself, which I adore, but the so-called fans. I keep reading about these fans who are the biggest fans, yet they were fans when they were 5 years old. Or they put aside their fandom when it wasn't cool anymore. Sorry, chicks, but you aren't fans. Stop kidding yourselves. You, once again, are bandwagon jumpers. Jump on when it's cool. Jump off when it's not.

Did you buy the "Face the Music" album? Did you go to a concert during the "Face the Music" tour? Do you even know there was a "Face the Music" album and tour?

Did you support the members of the band after the break up? Did you buy Joe, Jordan and Danny's solo albums? Did you see any of them in concert? Did you watch "Boomtown" or "Boston Public" or any other big or little screen (or stage) performance by Joe or Donnie? Did you watch certain reality television shows just to see Joe or Jordan? Did you care?

I would venture to say most "fans" of today aren't true fans. Those who are true fans never gave up hope. We supported and supported. We followed. We believed.

My little girl

2009-06-19T11:07:00.004-04:00

You know I only have one photo on my blog. I've been talking pretty frequently about my daughter, so here's a picture of her:

She's my little cutie. If you want to know more about her, you can visit her Web site (yeah, she has her own Web site) at www.gretafulton.com.

My baby is normal weight...your baby is fat!

2009-06-18T13:31:00.003-04:00

This is a bit of a rant and a definite rave.

Thank God for the Kelly Mom Web site! As a breastfeeding mom, I've found this site to be invaluable. I like how the information is easy-to-find and very balanced. The other breastfeeding Web site out there for La Leche League I have found to be very skewed toward almost being fanatical about breastfeeding. That's just not my thing. I support, but I'm not crazy!

Kelly Mom has kept me sane with my daughter's growth patterns. It's the only place that has the newer WHO growth charts as well as the CDC growth charts. I always get a little freaked out when my daughter goes to the doctor and is in the 25th percentile. Or was in the 40th percentile then drops to the 25th percentile. I go to Kelly Mom and find that her growth rates are perfect for a breastfed baby. The CDC charts are based on both breastfed and formula-fed babies. Thus, inaccurate for any baby! The WHO charts are based on only breastfed babies. (WHO figures if it is going to advocate breastfeeding, the growth charts better reflect that.) My daughter falls right along the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I see that and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Plus Kelly Mom has the CDC charts with the mean curve for breastfed babies printed on it. These CDC charts came out in response to the WHO charts. It shows that breastfed babies weight gain slows down dramatically right around 8-9 months, while if you look at the mean for all babies, it curves more up. Thus, why my little girl went from the 40th percentile to the 25th percentile on the CDC charts. Again, she stayed at the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I notice that and breathe a sigh of relief.

So my rant is about the CDC growth charts being inaccurate for all babies. Breastfed babies cannot be compared to formula-fed babies and vice versa. And seeing that so few women still are breastfeeding at six months, let alone a year, there need to be charts to reflect how a baby is actually fed at the time that they are weighed. It would solve a lot of anxiety on breastfeeding moms. It may even keep some moms breastfeeding an entire year to know that their baby is just fine instead of hearing these crazy percentiles that aren't even based on breastfed babies! I'm sure some moms quit because they don't think their babies are gaining enough weight just because of the stupid charts or perhaps because of stupid doctors who don't understand that it's normal for a breastfed baby to fall in the lower percentiles on the CDC charts.

My rave, of course, is for Kelly Mom. Thanks for giving breastfeeding moms a factual, balanced place to go with all our questions!

Why?

2009-06-02T16:48:00.002-04:00

Why is it the organization at which I work does not understand what communications is and what falls under communications? Why is it no one seems to think I know how to do my job? Why do certain people insist on trying to make me look like an idiot just to cover their own asses?

I hate my job

2009-02-19T08:56:00.003-05:00

It's finally gotten to me. In my last couple posts I noted some of the crap I deal with at work. But in the past couple days, it really has gotten to me.

I hate my job.

If we could afford for me to quit, I would. I've been looking for something new, but I haven't had any luck. I don't want to be a stay-at-home mom, but right now, I would take that over this job. At least I love my daughter.

At work I'm am undervalued, underappreciated and underpaid. There is no incentive for me even to do my job well anymore.

The worst of it is that the job is causing me to take it out on everyone I care about. I use the last of my patience on the baby and then lose it with everyone else. I'm tired. I miss my daughter. I just really hate being at work now.

There doesn't seem to be a way out. We need the money. And the economy sucks so much that I can't find something else. I'm spinning in a whirlpool I can't escape.

Feeling conflicted with working and nursing....I'd rather nurse

2009-01-30T13:40:00.003-05:00

It looks like I haven't written since a few weeks before my daughter was born. She was born on September 15, 2008. Labor went fairly quickly. I ended up needing a c-section. She had problems nursing. So that first month really sucked.

But now she is a healthy, happy, breastfed four-and-a-half-month-old baby.

I've gone back to work. I'm happy getting away from my daughter for some time everyday. And I'm lucky because my mom teaches preschool at a daycare. She picks the baby up and takes her to work with her and then watches her after she's come home until we get home from work. My mom has also decided she is retiring at the end of the school year. So no more daycare payments after May! At least until my mom gets sick of watching her granddaughter everyday.

So, luckily, I've been able to express milk while I'm at work. I just worked it out that I come in a little earlier to make up for the time it takes to pump. I'm a good little worker...but the company is also lucky that it doesn't have any smokers. I would be pissed off doing that when smokers take smoke breaks for ten minutes at a time every hour or so. I only need 15 minutes three times a day...and one of those times is during my lunch break.

It's still frustrating, though. No one here really understands how breastfeeding works. It's a small office. Two are men. Two of the women never had children. Two others did but formula fed. The last tried breastfeeding her first daughter and quit after two weeks. So she is the only one who even slightly understands.

They just don't understand that I really shouldn't skip a pumping session. They don't understand the bond I have with my daughter when I nurse. They don't understand why I'm so worried when my daughter has to have a bottle when she doesn't normally get one.

Case in point: I've been asked to cover for an evening meeting. To do this would be a logistical nightmare for a nursing mom. I would only get to nurse my daughter once the entire day (in the morning). Then I would have to pump the rest of the day, requiring at least seven or eight bottles for storage. Plus, a cooler to store them in. The one I normally used only has space for four bottles. That gets me through a regular workday. I've tried to explain this, but the person who handles the schedule just doesn't get it. She's very flippant. Almost like she is saying, "So what!"

I think there should be more education about breastfeeding and how important it is for a working mom who nurses to nurse as often as she can. I love nursing my daughter and it breaks my heart that I won't be able to nurse her that day. And for no good reason but to babysit a group who will be using our meeting room. I actually want to cry about it! So I'm stuck doing it...all I can do now is to pray that the meeting ends up being canceled.

I already have issues with the fact that my boss thought that I wouldn't come back to work after my maternity leave. He is very conservative and old-fashioned. He thought I would end up being a stay-at-home mom. I think until recently he thought I would quit at any moment to do so. I love my daughter, but I really need the time away from her. I really would like to leave this job, but the job market is so bad right now. I want to be at a more family-centric company!

Anyhow, that is what is going on. Thanks for listening.

I don't want to be a stay-at-home mom...

2008-08-25T15:44:00.003-04:00

Now that I'm at the end of my eighth month of pregnancy, the question I'm getting most often now is, "Are you still working?"

And I want to answer, "Why wouldn't I still be working?" But I don't. I just say, "Yes."

Some people leave it at that, but some, mostly older people (although a few folks my age have asked as well), follow up with, "When are you going to quit working?" Then they act all appalled when I tell them that I plan on working up until I give birth. I just find it a waste to stop working before the baby is born. I only get so much leave time. I would rather spend that time with the baby, not just sitting around waiting for the event to happen.

Now here is where there is even more of a shift. When I explain this to the younger people, they seem to understand and leave it at that. The older people go on. They ask this more as an appalled statement than an actual question, "You're going back to work?!"

I handle it pretty well, explaining that I like work and my mother is helping us with day care. Plus, we really can't afford for me to be a stay-at-home mom. Not that I really want to be a stay-at-home mom. That's not my cuppa tea. Now, my husband, on the other hand, would love to be a stay-at-home dad. Imagine what the old people would say to that! But that's another blog entry for another day.

Anyhow, it's my choice. It's what most women do. That's just the way it is nowadays. They just need to get over it.

Labor and Drugs

2008-08-13T08:52:00.004-04:00

Ever since the end of my second trimester I've been thinking about labor. The weird thing is that I'm not all that scared. I know the process. My husband and I are taking childbirth classes. I've read up on pain relief. I don't think you can ever be fully prepared for labor, but I think I'm ready.

The thing that has been bothering me are the people that are telling me to get the drugs. I'm very on the fence about that. I am not ruling out an epidural, but I would like very much to try natural childbirth.

I think the idea of an epidural freaks me out more than labor itself. It's the needle (I get really, really anxious around needles) and having drugs pumped into my system I'm not used to. I don't even like taking Tylenol.

Plus, the idea of being numb from the waist down kind of seems like something I won't be able to handle. I tend to be a very restless person, and I don't like the idea of not being able to get up and move around if I want to. I went a little nuts the last time I had a filling done at the dentist's and the numbness in my mouth took almost a whole afternoon to go away. And that was just my mouth! And I really don't think a lot of women know that an epidural makes labor last longer because most women can't push when the time comes when they have had an epidural.

I think I have a very healthy attitude about the whole labor experience. I'm not one of those women who believe it's not going to be all that bad. I know it's going to hurt, and it's going to be the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. I'm not deluding myself. But I know that the pain won't last and that the end product is totally worth it. It's a very positive way of thinking about it, and I think that is only way anyone could get through natural childbirth. Since I'm thinking this way, I think I can handle it. Plus, I'm not a quitter, so that end goal will be definitely be something I will want to strive for. Just like an athlete, you work through the pain to attain your goals.

But as I said, I'm not ruling out an epidural. I think I just want to try to go with the flow. If I can't handle the pain, I'll get the drugs. But if I'm doing well with all the relaxation techniques, I may just go for it without drugs.

Just don't tell me what to do. You and I are different people. Maybe you couldn't handle the pain and needed the drugs. Maybe I will be able to take it without. It is all about attitude.

A note on hand-me-downs

2008-07-29T16:13:00.002-04:00

Hand-me-downs are great. Especially with baby and children's items. They save you a bit of money. I have nothing against hand-me-downs. I am happy to take gently-used clothing and books. I might even take furniture or toys as long as they meet current safety standards.

The problem is the well-meaning, if misguided, people who use your new baby or younger children as an excuse to unload their crap on you.

Here is my guide to giving hand-me-downs (or donating to charity):

1. If you wouldn't give it to your own child or grandchild, throw it out. In that same vein, if it is dirty, stained, frayed, broken or missing pieces, throw it out.

2. If clothing more than five years old, make sure it is still in style, otherwise donate it to charity (as long as it is good shape).

3. Never try to give away or donate car seats or breast pumps. Car seat safety standards tend to change every year and used breast pumps can contain lots of harmful bacteria. (Don't use the excuse that hospitals rent out breast pumps. Hospitals have ways to disinfect those pumps that the normal person usually cannot duplicate at home.)

4. Furniture and toys must be in very good condition and meet current safety standards. You can find recall information online at the Consumer Product Safety Commission website (www.cpsc.gov). Safety standards for used cribs can found by doing a simple Google search. (This is a personal opinion: I would also say that commercial toys between five and ten years old you should definitely ask about the person if they want them before giving, and those more than ten years old should just be thrown out. I say commercial, because that heirloom wooden rocking horse you want to hand down will probably be taken without hesitation.)

5. Don't take it personally if the person you are giving to turns down some of the hand-me-downs. He/she probably has a good reason for doing so. Even if it is as selfish as wanting the baby/child to have new things. That is often the case with first-borns. Also, if the person takes the items without complaint and you find out later that he/she donated or threw out what you gave them, let it slide. They took the items in the first place because they didn't want to hurt your feelings.

6. General rule-of-thumb: If Goodwill won't take it, throw it out. And don't think that Goodwill takes everything. They don't. You may just drop the stuff off and then forget about it, but employees at Goodwill go through all donations and end up throwing out most of what is donated because it is in bad shape. And keep in mind that most Goodwills won't take baby items (except clothing) at all for liability reasons.

2008-07-09T10:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I shouldn't have to tell people this, but I guess there are still some really thoughtless, insensitive people still out there.

I got called "Fatty" by an elderly family member last week. As it wasn't a very good day to begin with, I yelled at her, "I am not fat!" She thought she was being funny. I guess she didn't realize a pregnant woman being called fat is not funny. Heck, it's not nice to call anyone "Fatty" to their face, even if they really are fat. Why do some old people lose all their sense?!

And I'm not even a fat pregnant lady. I started at a good, healthy weight. I'm in my seventh month and only have gained between 10 and 15 pounds so far. I'm right on track! And the baby is all compact in the front, so from the behind, I really don't even look pregnant.

It just wasn't funny.

Home improvement shortcut rant

2008-06-27T23:12:00.002-04:00

Wallpaper rules!

1. When applying wallpaper to drywall, PRIME AND SEAL before applying the wallpaper!

2. NEVER paint over wallpaper! REMOVE it first! (If possible. If someone didn't follow rule #1, you may be forced to paint over the paper. And that sucks because it never looks nice painted over.)

3. NEVER wallpaper over wallpaper! REMOVE it first! (Again, if possible.)

4. Better yet..NEVER wallpaper! Wallpaper styles change so quickly. It's a pain in the ass to remove. And paint is so much cheaper, easier and more versitile!

Sleeping Problems

2008-06-13T11:22:00.003-04:00

So, in my last post I revealed that I'm pregnant. I'm in my sixth month, and all is well. The only issue I've been dealing with lately is back pain when I sleep. And I, unlike most pregnant women who get pain in their lower back, my pain is in my mid-to-upper back. So there is little to no information on how to deal with it.

Now here's the rant:
Everyone with kids keeps telling me to sleep as much as I can while I can. Fine. Understandable. I tell them I'm not sleeping all that well, I'm having a lot of back pain when I sleep. Then they say, "Oh, it's just a way to get you ready for the baby!"

That gets to me. Yeah, I'll have to get up in the middle of the night quite a bit for the baby, but the difference between that and right now is the pain. At least when I get up for the baby, I'm not in pain, and I'll be able to go back to sleep after I take care of the baby. Right now, I'm just not able to sleep more than four hours a night on average because I'm in pain! It's a different kind of tired. It's not like getting up three times a night to pee. Maybe getting up three times a night to pee gets you ready for the baby, but not sleeping because of pain certainly does not. I'm sure there are other pregnant women out there that understand. And I hope those who may read this that have said something so stupid as "It gets you ready for the baby." really will think before they speak.

Things aren't the way they were back when you dealt with it.....

2008-05-02T14:00:00.004-04:00

Here's the first rant in a while. I've just recently started feeling better. I'm now in my fifth month of pregnancy, so I'm feeling pretty good. But now, especially since I'm showing, I'm getting all the unwanted advice and such of pregnancy. Someone that is close in age to you is one thing, but I'm getting really pissed off at all the people who haven't been pregnant in 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years. Things have changed!!!! Then there are the old wives tales that people still contend are true....arggh!

The cat thing bothers me. "Oh, you're going to have to get rid of your cat." "Your cat is going to kill your baby." "Cats are bad for babies." Get over it! It's not true! Like any other pet (like dogs who never seen to get a bad rap!) or a small child, you just have to get them ready for it and then once it happens, supervise, supervise, supervise!

Then there is this. "You shouldn't carry that." "You need to sit down." "You shouldn't be walking up all those stairs." "You shouldn't be exercising." Yes, I shouldn't carry anything really heavy, but I can carry a bag of groceries, I can help someone move a lightweight table, I can carry most packages. I'm allowed, even encouraged to exercise. I'm not supposed to all of a sudden give up an active lifestyle just because I'm pregnant!

Then I want to know why people seem to think bigger size clothing is the same as maternity clothing? Do they not realize that a pregnant body is built differently than a fat body???? Just because you have clothing that is too big for you, doesn't mean it will ever fit me. I normally wear a small shirt. Right now, I'm just having issues with the waist of shirts. (Even empire waists are tending to fit a little tight right now. At least one of my empire waists my belly shows now.) I actually am, for the first time in my life, filling out the top pretty nicely. If your medium or large is too big on you. It's going to be really big on me. My bust size is still too small for a medium or large. And I won't grow into it because maternity clothing are longer in front to accomidate a growing belly. My belly will just stick out of the bottom of the shirt while I end up having too much room in the top. Note to the older people I mentioned above: Just because your maternity clothes were mumus, tent dresses or just plain ugly, so you just tried to get away with bigger clothes, doesn't mean that women have to do that now. Maternity clothes are pretty stylish now. They are meant to fit a pregnant woman's body and make her look and feel nice. And I'm not even going to go into the fact that something a 60-year-old woman would wear is not usually something a 30-year-old woman would wear. So don't even try to give us clothing that is too big for you. It just doesn't work!

So concludes my rant for now. I'm sure I'll have more maternity rants in the next four and a half months. And then I'll start on all that unwanted baby advice!

Like you and me, most aren't "saints"

2008-01-29T15:24:00.001-05:00

I hate people that treat those in the armed forces like they are saints. Let me tell you they aren't. I'm not saying to not support the troops. It isn't their fault they're in a war someone else started. But I hate people who think Iraq War vets deserve to get everything for free. I'm sorry. My brother is an Iraq War vet, and I would be very wary of giving him anything for free. He is a scammer. And a jerk on top of that.

There are some great service people out there that aren't in it for the glory. They respectfully/humbly decline the gifts and money that are thrown at them. Those are the men and women I respect. It's like the hero who saves someone from a burning house who refuses to talk about it. That is real heroism.

Now I'm not talking about the donations of stuff that they need, like the silly string donations, money to offset costs of an disabling injury, or renovations of a a disabled vet's home to make it accessible. And I'm not talking about the donations of nominal items such as magazines and cookies. I'm talking about the free trips, free houses, free tickets to the Super Bowl, etc., etc.

It pisses me off that I'm paying the taxes that pay their paychecks and then some of them (not all) expect me to give them more. And then it always bugs me that there are lay people who think service people should get more just because they are in the armed services. If we had drafted services, I would agree, but we don't. We are volunteer. They CHOSE to be in the armed services. It is their JOB. I don't expect people to give me bunches of free stuff just because I'm doing my job. They shouldn't either. I wish someone would build me a brand new house for free. But it ain't going to happen.

People, just give service men and women our thanks. Most of them don't need anything else.

Technology and Friendship

2007-10-22T22:07:00.001-04:00

I was just thinking that with all the changes in technology, how much it has hindered friendships. You would think it would be easier to get a hold of someone with land lines, cell phones, e-mail, text messaging, My Space, etc. But now it is just easier to ignore people. I have a really hard time getting people to return any messages - no matter how I do it.

And then there is someone like me who has always had a hard time communicating in anything but writing. Technology has made me retreat more into introversion than ever before. But I still crave human contact. I will return messages. I am not going to retreat into rudeness. I can be a cynic, but I will not be rude.

Friends into Aquaintances

2007-08-22T19:20:00.002-04:00

Is there a such point in your life that your friends become your aquaintances? I know people drift apart, but don't most people at least one friend who sticks with them? Or if old friends become aquaintances, new friends take their places. I'm just curious. Am I the only one who feels that she doesn't know anyone anymore?

Loneliness

2007-08-21T21:06:00.001-04:00

I've just about given up on my "so-called" friends. But I said I wasn't going to be negative and cynical, so that's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm a Master Now

2007-08-04T22:51:00.001-04:00

I have earned my master's degree. I don't have the paper in my hands yet, but I have all the credits finished. Just waiting for the piece of paper. But I finally have finished!

Almost done, thank God

2007-07-31T19:34:00.000-04:00

My final project for grad school has ended up being a pain in the neck. It's amazing how unreliable people are, especially when you are doing something important for them for free! I'm just hoping that I get at least a passing grade. I don't care if it's not an A. Just so I pass. I just want to be done.

Three Cups of Tea

2007-05-23T20:26:00.000-04:00

I finished this book a couple weeks ago. I just really must tell people about it. It is such a great book.

"Three Cups of Tea" is by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. It is about Mortenson's journey to build schools, especially schools for girls in the Muslim world.

The majority of the book takes place in Pakistan after Mortenson's failed attempt at climbing K2. He discovered this small town that badly needed a school and made it his mission to build it a school. It took him a while, but he was able to do it and it grew to become a wonderful organization that just focuses on building schools in Pakistan and now Afghanistan.

It's an amazing story that everyone should read (especially those in government). It illustrates how education can lead to peace, which if you read one of earlier blog entries, you know that I believe a good education can lead to many more positive things!

The book also show the Muslim world in a more realistic light than most things Americans read. Islam is just like any other religion. Most Muslims are moderate and, guess what, are decent people.

Read "Three Cups of Tea." It is inspiring!

A great town

2007-05-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

Pittsburgh is a great town.

I wish people would know that. Especially the people who live in this area. Many people in this area are so disparaging about it. And when a lot of them talk, it is so obvious they have no clue about the area at all. And that is sad.

Downtown does have its problems, and there are reasons behind that that have a lot to do with government getting involved in business development. Government should stay out of that. We went from having a vibrant downtown as little as 15 years ago to having an empty downtown. It can directly be attributed to the so-called "revitalization" projects that happened during the Murphy administration.

Things are changing. We have a wonderful cultural district in Downtown. The arts are thriving, and many nice restaurants have opened in that area. Still more needs to be done Downtown.

We still have that smokey, steel city image, even though there isn't even a steel mill in Pittsburgh anymore. We have a low cost of living, friendly people and everything you could want in a city.

In and Outside Downtown there is so much to do, see and visit. Not only in Pittsburgh, but in the region (Southwestern Pennsylvania). Here are just a few of the attractions:

Andy Warhol Museum: North Side. Pittsburgh is where Warhol was born and raised and buried, and he still has family here. The museum is a must-see. Not only does it have a great collection of Warhol's work, it also has a rotating gallery that always has such interesting exhibits.

Carlow University: Oakland. I know little about the school except that it is primarily a women's school with a co-ed graduate school.

Carnegie Art/Natural History Museum (and Music Hall and Library): Oakland. The art side is pretty standard. The natural history side is what makes this museum great. It has the biggest collection of dinosaur fossils, I know in the country...maybe in the world. Unfortunately, Dinosaur Hall is closed right now. They are renovating it and resetting the bones and putting up new dinosaurs. It promises to be great. It should be back open in November.

Carnegie Mellon University: Oakland. This prestigious school is well-known for two polar opposite programs: theater and engineering.

Carnegie Science Center/Sports Works: North Side. This is a great place to take children. It also has an IMAX theatre that shows some interesting movies.

Chatham University: Shadyside. It just recently became a university. They are pretty excited about that. It's just like Carlow in that it has a women's undergraduate and coed graduate school.

Civic Light Opera/CLO Cabaret: Downtown. The CLO Cabaret has long-running shows in a dinner theater-type setting. The Civic Light Opera has mostly musicals that they do mostly during the summer.

Covered bridges: Washington County. Washington County is know for its historic covered bridges...here, there and everywhere. It's kind of cool if you like historical architecture.

Duquesne/Monongahela inclines: South Side/Mt. Washington. Starting at Station Square, these inclines will take you up to the top of Mt. Washington, where you will take in the gorgeous view of the city.

Duquesne University: Uptown. Many concerts are held at its A.J. Palumbo Center. Its also a nice campus with a great safety record if you are looking at colleges.

Falconi Field (home of the Wild Things baseball team): Washington. The minor league team is awesome. The games are fun. The field is also home of a monthly antique fair/flea market (last Sunday of the month) that people line up early to get into.

Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob: both near Uniontown. Both houses are designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and are very close to one another, so you could visit both in one day. And take a picnic at Ohio Pyle. It's worth driving out to Fayette County for.

Gateway Clipper Fleet: South Side. At Station Square you can get a riverboat ride. It can be a dinner cruise or an educational tour of the Three Rivers.

Heinz Field (home of the Steelers football team): North Side. If you can get tickets to a game, it's an experience.

Heinz History Center: The Strip District. As part of the Smithsonian Institute, the history center has some great exhibits not only on Western Pennsylvania, but also on American History. (By the way, the Strip District is a wonderful place to visit if you are into fresh food markets and great family-owned restaurants. It also has many clubs for those who are into the nightlife.)

Mattress Factory: North Side. This art gallery has mostly installation pieces. It's a very interesting place if you are into modern and post-modern art.

Meadowcroft Village: Avella. A colonial village. The people who work there dress period style. They show you how to churn butter and stuff. It is also the site of a big archeological dig. At the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter archeologists have found remants of prehistoric man. Very cool.

Mellon Arena (home of the Penguins hockey team): On the border of the Lower Hill District and Uptown. It is soon to be replaced with a newer arena, so if you would like to see this historic building, you better visit in the next year and a half.t

National Aviary: North Side. This is a wonderful bird sancuary! They have a lot of birds and a great conservation program.

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: Washington. This is a great place to take kids. You learn all about trolleys and get to take a trolley ride. Around Christmas you can get trolley rides with Santa!

Phipps Conservatory: Oakland. In Shenley Park, if you like pretty flowers and plants, this is the place to go. They often partner with artists as well. Right now they have a glass exhibit throught the conservatory gardens.

Pittsburgh Ballet: Downtown. I'm not too thrilled about the canned music, but the dancing is nice.

Pittsburgh Children's Museum: North Side. I haven't been here in years. (I don't have kids.) But, Pittsburgh being the home of Mr. Rogers, the Children's Museum has some great Mr. Rogers themed stuff. Wonderful for the young'ins.

Pittsburgh Musical Theater: Downtown. This is a newer theater company that does most of its shows from the Byham Theatre.

Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University: Oakland. Although affiliated with the school, it has a theater group that is not just a bunch of college kids. The college also holds theater and dance programs here. It also has a great children's theater (Playhouse Jr.).

Pittsburgh Public Theater: Downtown. It's weird. The public theater used to do all straight theater, but it has recently added some musicals into its season.

Pittsburgh Opera: Downtown. Never seen one, but we've got it if you want it.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Downtown. The PSO is one of the best symphony orchestras in the country. The pops director is Marvin Hamlich, which I think is pretty cool.

Pittsburgh Zoo: Highland Park. I love animals, so I love the zoo. It has a great elephant program. If you visit, ask about it.

PNC Park (home of the Pirates baseball team): North Side. It is a beautiful park worth visiting at least once. It makes watching the Pirates lose more bearable.

Point Park University: Downtown. My alma mater. Very good performing arts and journalism programs. You have to go to another part of the city to see the performances, but it is a very good school to visit if you are looking into those two majors for college.

Point State Park: Downtown. The location of Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. It's a big mudball right now. It's closed for renovations. I'm not sure if I like the renovations because they are burying all the historical stuff (the forts). It just seems wrong. The Fort Pitt Museum in the park is still open, though.

Soldiers and Sailors Museum: Oakland. If you like military museums, this is a nice one.

South Side Works: South Side. Shops, restaurants and a movie theater (national chains). If you like to check out the local stuff, walk down East Carson Street and you will find all kinds of locally owned restaurants, shops, bars, galleries, etc.

Station Square: South Side. An old train station made into shops. Worth a visit.

University of Pittsburgh: Oakland. Many concerts are held at the Petersen Events Center. The Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning are open to the public and worth visiting. And when you get there, look up, you may see two of its famous residents, a couple of perigrine falcons. Also, Pitt has a highly regarded medical school if you are interested in that.

Walnut Street Shops: Shadyside. You can find some interesting mom-and-pop shops alongside the high-end national retailers here.

Wood Street Gallery: Downtown. A nice art gallery.

Okay...now that was just a few things! I've left out lots of stuff, and I didn't even put restaurants on this list. (Although, the place to go if you want real Pittsburgh food is Primanti Bros.)

I hope this changes some people's views. Come check SWPA out!

Friendship

2007-05-06T22:07:00.000-04:00

I thought this was worth blogging about. I wrote a simple sentence in my journal last week: "I hate trying to be a friend, and not feeling like I have any friends."

So, is it worth it to even try? I'm pretty content in my life right now. I would like to hang out with someone other than my husband every once in a while, but I'm sick of making an effort and being let down every time.

So, really, are friends worth it?

On death and responsiblity

2007-03-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

My husband just ran over a cat.

It wasn't on purpose. It was dark, and the cat ran out onto a busy street. He pulled over, refused to let me come see and asked a neighbor if he knew whose cat it was. The neighbor didn't.

I'm upset.

He brought me back home and is now going back to move the dead cat from the street.

Now I'm at home alone with my cat, and I'm telling her how lucky she is to be an indoor cat.

Please, keep your cats indoors!

And please spay and neuter.

Not Yesterday. Not Tomorrow. TODAY!

2007-03-17T16:45:00.000-04:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day. Today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Today.

Yesterday I got a lot of slack because I wasn't wearing green. "Today isn't St. Patrick's Day," I reminded them. "Tomorrow is."

It's not like we were having a special "wear green day" or anything. That is not the kind of office in which I work. It was March 16, so I wore pink. Today is March 17; I'm wearing green.

People were just so frickin' insane to try to make me feel guilty for not wearing green on the day before St. Patrick's Day.

Dieting Commercials

2007-02-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Why is it on Lean Cuisine commercials, the women on diets are women who don't need to be on a diet (skinnies)? Isn't that sending the wrong message?

On the other hand, I love the new Slim Fast commercials with the curvy women and the slogan "Find Your Right Size." These women are dieting and losing weight, but it's not about becoming really skinny. It's about being healthy. Isn't that a better message to send women?

Disappointment

2007-02-23T07:18:00.000-05:00

I don't look forward to birthdays. I've had so many bad ones that I try to make them as low key as possible. That way I won't get too depressed.

Now don't get me wrong, I've had some lovely birthdays in my day. My 5th, 19th, 22nd and 24th come to mind.

I got my first real Barbie on my 5th birthday.

My friend Tara and my mom got a cake and baloons and brought them to guard practice to celebrate my 19th birthday.

On my 22nd, I got really drunk with my friend Tony. We walked home, stopping at Pegasus to use the restroom. A guy at Pegasus bought me a drink when he heard it was my birthday. Then Tony and I walked down the middle of Wood Street for a while until we got to McDonald's and just had to have some french fries. When I got back to school, I talked drunkenly to my roommate Kim for a while before heading upstairs to Amanda's room, where she had set up a little party with a cake and everything.

Joe had a surprise party for my 24th birthday. Friends came. Family came. People from work came. One friend from college, Heidi, came. It was nice.

I'm writing about this now because tomorrow I turn 30. I've asked Joe not to make a big deal over it. I have no qualms over turning 30, but I don't want to invite people to get me cards that tell me I'm old. Because I'm not and I don't want to feel old.

I've already had a few disappointments, though. I tried to get some of my friends to hang out with me while I was still in my 20s. It didn't have to be fancy. I just wanted to hang out. Some didn't answer. Others flat out said no and blamed it on money. (I don't believe you need money to have fun!) A couple of people who did make plans with me canceled on me last minute. They both had good excuses, but it disappointed me all the same.

So I will hang out with my husband tonight -- my last night as a 20-something. I love him, but sometimes a girl wants to hang out with other females. I'll just have to settle with the fact that I will always be disappointed in some way about my birthday. This year is no different.

Oh no! Again!

2007-01-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

I want to barf. I did it again. I forgot something important. Today it was my notebook for class. I left it on my desk at work. Luckily I had typed and printed all the important notes, but I don't have anything to write on during class. I'll have to see if someone in class can give me some paper. What is happening to me?!

The Absent-Minded Woman

2007-01-19T18:01:00.000-05:00

For the past month I've been really absent-minded. I've been forgetting my keys or taking the wrong keys. I've forgotten that I've been able to leave work early on some days. I've forgotten lunches at home or at work. It's starting to become really annoying. I keep a calendar to remind me of important things, but little things like this are driving me crazy!

Surreal Day

2007-01-19T10:21:00.000-05:00

I must blog about my day so far. It isn't even 10:30 in the morning and my day has been really surreal.

I had an early meeting to cover at work so I got up early so I could leave early so I could get to work early. Somehow I ended up picking up my husband's keys instead of my own, but I didn't realize this until I got to the gas station. It normally wouldn't be a problem. He would pick up my keys and use them. But...my keys were in my coat pocket. I went home and found him digging in the garbage looking for his keys. He yelled at me that he tried calling me and I needed to keep my phone out of my purse so I could hear it. I was at the gas station. That was why I didn't hear my phone.

So the drive was easy until I get close to work and hit traffic. I definitely wasn't going to be at work early now. I call and leave a message for someone to let them know.

I go over the bridge and get off the exit. At the exit, I have to merge otherwise I end up on a one-way street to nowhere. It's not a very long merge point, and there was a van in the other lane, so I had to stop before I could merge. The van stopped, too, and the driver just looked at me like I was an idiot. It turns out he wanted in my lane (although he didn't have a turn signal on), but I had no where to go. He finally went forward a little so I was able to merge.

Then I get on a road with two lanes at the light. One lane is a left turn lane and the other is straight/right turn lane. I was going straight so I get in the right lane and wait until the light is green. Someone is in the lane next to me. He decides he's not turning and goes straight. And it's not like he gases up to be in front of me. He's slightly behind me...pretty much in my blind spot. He honks at ME!!!! Not just a little honk. He leaned on his horn the whole way up the street until I turn at the next light. Like it was my fault!!! I'm sorry, had he hit me, it would have been his fault. He was in the wrong lane. He should've been turning left.

So I get to work. Things are okay for a while. The group that is meeting is a group of psychiatrists. They cracked me up. It was a videoconference, and we had set up the videoconferencing equipment in the meeting room and put some tables in front of the TV. They ended up sitting all spread out throughout the room. It was so non-conformist.

So then I get a phone call for a physician referral. I'm happy to do it, but some people can be a little loopy. This woman wanted the best physician in the city. I explained to her that our organization doesn't rate or rank physicians. She asked why. I explained that it would be a subjective opinion that could differ from person to person. She seemed to be okay with that asked if I could give her a name of a Chinese doctor. I then had to explain that I was not able to do that because our system does not include ethnicities. She asked why. I tried to explain to her that was just how our system was set up. She didn't get it, so I told her I could look up a physician who speaks Chinese. She thought that was fine. I look it up. There are only five, so I ask her what type of physician she was looking for. "Oh, one that deals with blood pressure, heart problems and blood thinners," she says. Okay...a cardiologist. Only one on the list of Chinese-speaking doctors was a cardiologist. I gave her the name. He also spoke Thai, and looking at the name...he's probably Thai. Oh well. Anyhow, I started to give her the phone number, but she cut me off and asked, "Could you give me the name of a medical doctor?" I wanted to bang my head off the desk. I told her that everyone in our database is a medical doctor. (I didn't get into the doctors of osteopatic medicine; I knew it wouldn't be worth it.) But then she asked if I could look up a Dr. Campbell. Sure. In my head I'm laughing because Campbell is not a Chinese name (not that that means anything, but it struck me funny). I asked her if she knew the first name. No. Well, I have several Campbells in the database. He works out of so-and-so hospital, she says, "should I call there?" YES!!! Finally I'm off the hook!!!

But that's my day so far.

One of My Biggest Pet Peeves

2007-01-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays I had another run-in with assumption. It was an assumption that would have been easily shot down by a simple phone call. Now I'm stuck trying to find a remedy. Again, I would like to say, "DON'T ASSUME!"

Goodbye 2006

2006-12-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

Goodbye 2006. You were uneventful. (Except for the whole think with my grandmother being ill and dying on Christmas Eve.)

Hello 2007. I hope you will be more eventful. I turn 30 this year, and I should receive my master's degree. So at least there are two things.

I don't make resolutions, but I'm going to do my best to try to be a little less cynical in my old age.

Before I do that, I want to go into my last rant of the year: I hope that people I know will be better at making and returning phone calls and e-mails in the new year.

I once had a friend who would say, "The phone works both ways." I hated when she said that because I and others were the ones making all the phone calls; she would just never pick up the phone herself. She made herself into a hypocrite.

It seems as though more and more people have gotten to be just like this friend. Because I have less and less contact with people who I once considered my friends, I feel it has made me more and more cynical and negative about everyone and everything. I hate that; I want to be a good person.

Every so often I feel like cutting these people who so obviously don't care out of my life, but I'm just not able to do it. Although I'm relatively happy just having my husband as my only friend, I guess I don't want to become completely antisocial.

That is all. I wish all of you and yours a wonderful 2007.

Avon Instant Manicure

2006-12-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

I bought Avon's Instant Manicure on sale for $4.99 (regularly $8.99) and thought I would tell you all about it here. The kit comes with 16 strips of adhesive "stickers" of enamel nail color. It's pretty easy to apply to nails, but tearing at the ends can leave some chips.

Avon claims the manicure can last up to 14 days. By day 5, the paint was chipping, but didn't look too bad. I'm now at day 11. The paint looks pretty bad. I'm planning on taking it off as soon as I can. It is supposed to come off with nail polish remover. We will see. (12/21 - It came off as easily as regular nail polish.)

So, in my opinion, Instant Manicure is good for about a week, about half of what Avon claims. Maybe it would have lasted longer if I did nothing with my hands, but I'm not a pampered rich girl.

I would say give this stuff a try if you want to do your nails for a party or something that comes up short notice, but don't have a lot of time to let the polish dry. Otherwise, do it the old-fashioned way by buying a bottle of enamel and brushing it on yourself. Or go have it done at a manicure place. It will last almost as long and is a better price in the long run.

Winter Wonderland

2006-12-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday the Pittsburgh region got its first snowfall of the season.

Yesterday it took me four hours to get home.

It normally takes me a little under an hour.

We didn't get a lot of snow, but parts of the roads were on the icy side. So therein lies the problem. Here's the rundown on my night going from work on the North Side to home in Washington. Those from the Pittsburgh area may recognize the landmarks and exits I use, but for those of you who aren't from around here, just know that it shouldn't take this long!

I left work on the North Side at 5 p.m. Fourty-five minutes into my ride, I was still sitting on the ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge. Two buses with police escorts were going the opposite way at a decent speed, bypassing the traffic. There was a Steelers game last night and Heinz Field is on the North Side, so I figure it may have been part of the Browns entourage. No fair. I wanted a police escort at that moment. At 6 p.m I finally made it onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge.

The best part of the trip was the second hour. Once I made it through the Fort Pitt Tunnels, the traffic on the Parkway was slow, but not crazy slow. Once I got onto 79 south, there was no traffic at all...until I hit around the Kirwin Heights exit. Full stop. Just past the exit I hit 7 p.m.

At this point, I call my husband, who is on a business trip to Washington, DC. I ask him to make a note of the time. "Guess where I am?" I ask him. He thinks I've gone shopping or something because he hadn't reached me at home. "No, I'm still on my way home from work. I haven't even reached Bridgeville yet." He is incredulous. I tell him it snowed. He then tells me to be careful, to which I tell him it's pretty hard not to be careful when you're going less than 5 miles per hour. After getting off the phone with him, I'm approaching the Bridgeville exit. I contemplate getting off there and going the back way home, but then I think better of it. If the highway is this bad, then the back roads can't be good. I stick to 79.

By 8 p.m. I've made it to the rest area just past Bridgeville. It's taken me an hour to get somewhere that would have only taken five minutes. I stop at the rest area. I've been on the road for three hours by now...I really had to pee. I called my husband, "I've finally made it to the rest area!!!" He couldn't believe it, "You've got to be kidding me? Is it that bad?" I don't believe it's that bad, but there must be something ahead that's causing the traffic. The only thing I can figure is that it's a bit icy at the Southpointe exit. It sits on top of a hill and snow drifts onto the road. It always is a bit icier than other areas of the highway.

Back on the road, it seems as though I was right. Soon after Southpointe, the traffic speeds up. I'm in Washington by 9 p.m.

Happy Winter Everyone!

Uninspired

2006-12-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

So, there used to be this time of my life when I was constantly writing. I was extremely prolific. I would write fiction and poetry, and I was inspired on a regular basis.

Now, this is the extent of my writing. This and all the writing I do for work and school. I'm sick of non-fiction. I feel stifled. I almost never get inspired anymore. Does anyone have any advise on how to pull myself out of this hole without quitting my job? I don't have the kind of money that would let me stay at home and just write what I want to write.

Ready for a vacation

2006-11-21T14:49:00.000-05:00

From the last few posts, it looks as though I'm ready for some time off. I will be getting a few days from work for Thanksgiving, but I still have schoolwork to finish. So I guess my next real day off will be around Christmas. I hope I can make it to then. Everything is touching a nerve right now.

Don't talk to me!

2006-11-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a pet peeve of mine: People that talk to me while I'm in the restroom. I'm already a bit pee shy in public restrooms. It doesn't help when someone insists on having a conversation with me while I'm trying to do my business. Is this weird? Or am I right in saying that even if it is a public restroom, we should pretend that the stalls are private and no one should talk unless it is an emergency (you know, "spare a square" or "anyone got any feminine products on hand!").

It's not a black and white issue....

2006-11-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Just because I mention African poverty and a poor educational system being much of the reason behind low life expectancy and poor decisions (including war and the high rate of HIV and other diseases) in Africa does not mean that I am a racist. Some people need to get over it. I am stating proven facts. I'm not talking black, white or arab. I'm talking Africa in general.

And I'm not saying that United States doesn't have some of the same problems, because it does. It just happens to be more widespread on the African continent.

And if you are going to say that I would give an American example being a primarily black, inner-city neighborhood, that would only be partially true. I also would like to point out primarily white, rural areas have a lot of the same problems. Suburbia seems to be the only area that escapes a lot of these types of problems...no matter who lives there. Not that there are not problems in suburbia, they just are not as widespread.

Poverty and poor education is not a black and white issue, it's a global issue, involving everyone!

AssUMe

2006-11-13T19:46:00.000-05:00

All I wanted to say is you know what they say about people who assume.

Grrrr....

Compact Car Space

2006-11-10T08:03:00.000-05:00

I had to write about something that has been in my head since yesterday morning when I first saw it: The new "magic" commercial advertising the H3 Hummer. I'd link it here so you can see it, but it hasn't seemed to make it to youtube or any other place yet.

In the ad, a "magician" points out a compact car space. At that moment a women in an H3 parks in it, and he says something like "ta da!" I'm not really sure because looking at the H3 in that space pissed me off. If you take a look at the passenger side of the H3, you will notice that when the person who owns the car on that side of the H3 comes back, he or she is not going to be able to enter his or her vehicle. He or she is going to be really pissed.

Here's the thing. They are compact car spots for a reason. The spots are small. Second, if you are going to be an asshole SUV driver and park in a spot that is clearly marked as not being for you, then at least make sure the owners of the cars next to you will be able to open their car doors wide enough to actually climb inside. If you don't, don't be surprised and don't blame them if you end up with large dents from their car doors whacking the side of your gas-guzzler...or even a scratch from their mirrors scraping up against your monstrosity because you were parked only an inch away from them. You can only blame yourself.

Lesson: Park where your car actually fits, not where you think it fits.

Who do I look like????

2006-11-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

I just thought I would share my celebrity look-a-likes here. It's a little more light-hearted (and Jensen Ackles came up as a look-a-like, and I just love him...ever since he was on Days).

Election Day 2006

2006-11-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

So, I voted this morning. We had a new voting location. It was a little confusing to everyone, but once found, it was painless. Our computers worked just fine, though we heard some complaints on the radio of computers not working elsewhere. I'm just worried about hackers and funky viruses that someone may come up with to mess with the systems. I also don't like the fact that there's no paper trail...just in case.

Anyway, besides those crazy worries, I did my civic duty. I also just wanted to remind those who didn't go to the polls, don't complain about the government. You have no right to complain if you don't vote. If you did vote...complain all you want! I know I do!

Football

2006-10-30T12:29:00.000-05:00

This is just a little curiosity.

I was watching the Steelers/Raiders game last night, and I had a thought about respectful fans and how high school football is so much different than the pros when it comes to that.

Early on in the game one of the officials twisted an ankle and was helped off the field by the Steelers trainers. Later, one of the Steelers was down hurt (Daeshae Townsend, I think). Each time the fans kept on screaming and carrying on like nothing was going on.

Many years ago (10 at least) when I went to every football game my high school's team played (I was in the band), when a player was hurt, the stadium got quiet. It didn't matter whose player it was. It was a sign of respect for the hurt athlete. When the player got up (or gave a sign that he was okay when taken off the field by paramedics), everyone would clap...even the opposing side. No one wanted anyone to get hurt.

It's a bit of a shame that pro team fans are not like this. All it shows is a little respect!

America's Got Talent

2006-07-14T16:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, my first rave.

It's not for the show, which is mediocre. It's for the Millers, who appeared on the show. Two brothers. The older one (older teen, early 20s maybe) plays guitar and sings, the younger (young teen) plays harmonica. The younger brother is one of the best harmonica players I've ever seen. The mean British judge (because all these shows have a mean British judge), said pretty much the same thing then told him that he would someday have to get rid of his brother. The older brother took it in stride. (I'm sure he knows his kid brother is very talented.) The younger brother was so upset that this mean British guy was telling him that his brother sucks that he started to cry and said that he would never do it. It was awesome. It made tears well in my eyes. It was the sweetest, most brotherly thing I've seen on television in a long time. Good for him! I hope they make it to the end!

Weather

2006-07-14T16:22:00.000-04:00

I'm not complaining about the weather, but I'm going to rant about a couple of people in my office who complain about the weather.

They are never happy. It doesn't matter what the weather is, they will complain about it. It could be beautiful out and they will find something wrong with it. I'm ready to yell, "If you hate the weather here so much, why don't you move!"

That's all; it annoys me.

Smoking Bans

2006-07-14T16:11:00.000-04:00

All right, I have had a lot on my mind the past couple days.

Allegheny County (the county in PA in which Pittsburgh is located) is thinking about enacting a smoking ban in workplaces, including bars and restaurants.

Good. Maybe I'd enjoy going to some places better and would go more often if they were smoke-free.

Unfortunately, we have some whiners (bar owners mostly) who say they are going to lose business. That is such a false argument. Talk to business owners in New York City. Talk to those in Ireland. They haven't lost business. In fact, some have actually gained some business. Non-smokers are coming back! And you know there are more non-smokers out there than smokers.

I can't stand smokey establishments, it bothers my eyes and makes everything I wear and carry stink, not to mention my hair and skin. I'd love everything to be smoke-free just for those reasons alone, let alone the health reasons.

Big Ben

2006-07-14T15:56:00.000-04:00

So Ben Roethlesberger finally has been giving interviews about his motorcycle accident. Fine.

This is what bugs me: He is saying he didn't think he should have been cited for anything because he didn't know he did anything wrong.

Um, Ben, ignorance doesn't make you right.

Your permit was expired - by just about three months. Even if you had had your license, you have to wear a helmet if you had it less than two years. I'm pretty sure that's in the PA motorcycle handbook. I guess you didn't read it.

And...before anyone gets on me about the lady who drove in front of him, she was cited, too, for failure to yield. Actually more people in the Pittsburgh area should be cited for that. No one around here seems to understand what a yield is.

She didn't mean to hit Roethlisberger. She was doing what she had been doing since she started driving, making a "Pittsburgh left." (Google it, I'm sure there's info out there about this annoying Pittsburgh habit.) It doesn't make her right, but she didn't mean it, and I'm sure she feels terrible about it.

So, all of you out there bothering that poor woman, STOP IT!

That's all about that. Oh, and don't forget to wear a helmet.

Shoofly Pie

2006-07-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

I wanted to rant about this earlier, but here goes.

So, last week PA chose a saying for its bumper sticker. They chose "I brake for shoofly pie."

Terrible, especially since most the Western half of the state has no clue what shoofly pie even is!!!

For those of you who don't know what shoofly pie is, and that probably is most of you, its an Amish pie filled with a custard made with a lot of molasses. It must be an acquired taste because I ate it once in Lancaster, and that was enough for me.

Why couldn't PA choose something that represented the whole state instead of something that is only around PA Dutch Country. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Harrisburg is around that area?

Go to www.visitpa.com to see the bumper sticker and some of the other choices.

And for my first rant....

2006-07-10T17:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here at work after 5 p.m. Not because I want to, but because of the stupid All-Star Game.

I work in Pittsburgh...the North Side of Pittsburgh to be more specific. The North Side is where all the sports stadiums are. Right now baseball's All-Star Week is going on in Pittsburgh. Right now most of the roads on the North Side and some roads in Downtown are closed. Right now, I'm stuck at work waiting for my husband to get here from Lawrenceville to pick me up. He's been stuck in traffic since a quarter till 5. It usually only takes him 10 minutes to get to the North Side to pick me up.

Anyone familiar with Pittsburgh knows how important of a road the 10th Street Bypass is. It's one of the streets that is closed. So everything is a mess.

I can't wait for it to get back to normal.