Life in Pgh

It's a gorgeous day in the 'burgh. We're starting to love it here, and days like today make that pretty darn easy.

So, you ask, what have we been up to? (Or, if you're a grammar snob, "Up to what have we been?")Above is Frick Park. There are miles and miles of trails just like the one above--right at a city park. This is where we run. [Author's note: Admittedly, the move has caused a slackening of our regimen, but we still get out a couple times a week. These hills are pretty killer.] Complete with babbling brooks, dog play areas, and lots of trees, this has quickly become a haven for us.
The formidable building above is the majestic Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (one of nineteen branches throughout the city), which happens to be my current location. Andrew Carnegie, as I'm sure you all know, pioneered the idea of the public library (Wikipedia tells me that there are more than 2500 libraries funded by Mr. Carnegie worldwide). This particular library was established in 1895, as the architecture and some of the interior hints. This is love.


Above, we see a representation of two things important to Pittsburgh: Dinosaurs and Mr. Rogers. Again, I'm sure you're aware that Mr. Fred "Mister" Rogers was a Pittsburgher, so that explains the dino's vestiture. But why dinosaurs? Apparently, when dinosaur fossils were first being discovered, our friend Mr. Carnegie, being a man of considerable means, said to his staff, "I want one of those, somebody go find me one!" Which, of course, is exactly what happened. So, according to my retelling of a story that I half-listened to and didn't fact-check, Mr. Carnegie procured one of the first dino skeletons. There are statues of dinosaurs all over the city. One day, we'll do a blog just about those guys.

This little gem of a pizza place has melted our hearts like so much mozzarella cheese. It's tiny, they only take cash, and you may well hear a few f-bombs floating from behind the counter, but the pizza is divine. Sitting atop a crust that is at once chewy and crunchy is a generous portion of sweet tomato sauce, upon which rests a doubly generous portion of cheese. Their ovens must be about 7000 degrees, which creates a nice crisp layer of browned cheese to complement the gooey, melty, delicious goodness underneath. We got a spinach and artichoke pie. It was so hot that by the time we made the 10 minute walk back to our car and the fifteen minute drive back to our apartment, we could only just eat it. To die for.

But, you wouldn't know who was typing if it didn't include . . .

Dozen Bake Shop. A Pittsburgh institution! They have delicious cupcakes, and their other baked goods are probably okay, too . . . whatever. It is, dare I say it, better than Sprinkles. (For the record, I think the appeal of Sprinkles lies mostly in its branding, and the actual product is only "okay.") There's a tiny little storefront in Squirrel Hill, right across from the library that we most often frequent. Dangerous. Another one opening soon around the corner from the Main Library . . . and from the church / institute building. Yikes.

In Other News, our oven actually DOES work. Look out, Pittsburgh! We are going to be baking like maniacs soon . . .

pittsburgh

Made it.

No internet. Using library. Library is awesome. Love.

Highlights: Carnegie Public Library System, Dozen Bake Shop, Frick Park, etc.

Lowlights: Loneliness, house unsettled, job search, etc.

7% Battery Power left on lappy.

But, we made it.

So Long . . .

So long to the red river valley,
My ropin'  and wranglin' is through
And so farewell to the home corral
And all the old friends that I knew.

Goodbye to the old empty bunkhouse
Where I dreamed the hours away
Send my mail to the end of the trail
So long to the red river valley.

I'll roll up my beddin' and pack up  my clothes
And lighten my heart  with  a song
For where I'll  be travelin', nobody knows
So I'll have to be movin' a long.

Goodbye to the old empty bunkhouse
Where I dreamed the hours away
Send my mail to the end of the trail
So long to the red river valley.

End Chapter

We're closing a chapter in our lives.

I have one day left at my workplace; my residents are crying and protesting my departure. (Said one, "Tell your husband I'm mad at him!")

We have two weeks left at church--and this coming Sunday we'll be giving our "farewell talks." My Primary kids are protesting, too. One girl in particular has been asking for weeks, "Why are you leeeeeaving us???"

It feels good to be loved.

Makes me wish I'd kept up better with all my friends. Or, really, with ANY of you. I'm such a terrible long-distance friend. And by "long-distance," I really mean anything that doesn't have us in the same room for hours at a time several times a week. I feel like I can quietly walk away from my friends and acquaintances and have my absence unnoticed because my presence has been so sporadic (to the point of being almost nonexistent). My residents and my Primary kids see me regularly. They will miss me, at least temporarily. (The residents may be very temporary . . . many of them may forget by Monday.)

We can certainly chalk it up to being "busy," but you and I both know that "busy" is just a more efficient (and more tactful) way of saying that we don't have time for one another, and that we'd rather be doing other things than hanging out. I guess that's been my fatal flaw all along--not wanting to sacrifice to maintain friendships. I realize now, as I sort through the back corners of my closets, shelves, and cabinets, that friendships can just as easily be forgotten. And just like that "lost" favorite sweater, you love it when you remember that you have it. And when push comes to shove, you just don't really want to throw it away, even if you've only worn it once in the past year.

The benefit lost friendships have over sweaters is that they don't take up extra closet space.

So, I'll pack them all. Unlike all my other possessions, which are in the midst of being evaluated for their utility, you are all coming with me. No questions asked.

The Blogging Paradox

If there's something to write about, you probably don't have the time to write about it. If you've got the time to write, you probably don't have anything to write about.

I was shocked to see that the last post was very nearly a month ago. What has happened in the past month??

-Andy finished his semester at UNT. (All A's! Go Mr. Smartypants!)
-My brother and S-I-L have moved back to Texas. (He got a job! Go Mr. Productive-Member-Of-Society!)
-Seminary has finished! Yippeeeee!!!
-We baked 150 mini-cupcakes for a friend's wedding.
-Andy went to P-burgh, where he found and secured our apartment!
-We're still running--just three weeks away (hopefully) from running a full 30 minutes at a time. Many of you may not be impressed by this, but I could barely run for one minute when we started. Now we're up to 14 minutes in a set (two sets per run). I feel awesome!
-In conjunction with my running, I have lost 2 inches from my waist. Unfortunately, the redistribution of fat and muscle to my lower half (i.e., less body fat, more muscle) has left my overall volume in said lower half generally the same as it was. The result is that I am now two sizes smaller on top than on bottom. So now you all know it: I'm a pear.
-We discovered that our ward in P-burgh is also housing an enclave of Spanish-speakers.

Blah, blah, blah.

Confession

Remember this post?

Well, we just got back in from a lovely Saturday morning run, on a perfect running day (sunny, 67 degrees, breezy).

Now, I feel the need to set the record straight a bit here. We are baby runners. Our 10k was completed mostly walking--thanks to the one of us whose longer hair weighs us down (wind resistance, you know). In preparation for the 10k, we "trained," which consisted mostly of me complaining and Andy trying to get me to run.

Things have gotten better, though, ever since we started on one of those walk-to-run plans. I've never been a runner, nor have I been athletically inclined in the faintest, so this seemed just at my threshold of ability. We started on Week 1 running just one minute at a time, and now it's Week 7, and we're doing six! For me, that is huge. By the end of June, we should be running a full 30 minutes, which would be monumental. As I said, I've never been a good runner.

So, this is the blessing of setting goals. We were talking about it a few days ago, and our whole running stint started on somewhat of a whim, with an UNrealistic goal to run a half-marathon in a few short months. However, in setting that goal, we landed on an ACHIEVABLE goal. As the cliché goes, "Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." We're still gonna do those 13.1 miles, but it may take us a little longer--and that's okay. I'm just proud for having made the progress we have. :-)

Sometimes . . .

. . . I update just because I want to write something.

Since I've been out of school, I have many fewer opportunities to write. Nerd that I am, I miss it. I've considered writing the next Great American Novel, but haven't known where to start. Apparently, America likes novels about vampires and semi-tragic (so I hear) books to be made into movies starring Miley Cyrus. I don't have any ideas about things like that. The elitist in me rebels against popular culture anyway, so my hope would never be to land on the NY Times Bestseller list. Ignorant proles!

Alas, I can't even think of what to write on a blog read by a small (yet very important) handful of people. I feel best blogging when I have some insightful thought, or some horrible injustice, or some funny story bouncing around in my mind. In the absence of these, plagued only by the monsters of day-to-day living (laundry! errands! work! oh, my!), I find myself struggling to put . . . key to . . . screen . . . (oh, it's so much easier to say "pen to paper!").

So, I sit here and try to come up with something deep.

Hmmm.

Nope, still nothing. I might as well go in the opposite direction, then. Here is something completely trivial:

A comprehensive list of the contents of my purse.

In case you're wondering, I don't have a Louis Vuitton handbag. Mine is a Fossil, but only because my mom gave it to me after my old one broke. Yes, it's a hand-me-down from my mother.

-one package of facial tissue (Kroger brand, pocket pack)
-one CelloPhant
-one tube of hand cream (Neutrogena Norwegian formula, fragrance free)
-$67.58 cash (wow, I'm rich!)
-one wallet (red, with hearts on it)
-one bottle of hand sanitizer (compliments of Senior Care Center)
-one receipt from OfficeMax (printer cartridges and CD labels)
-one tube of lip gloss (Clinique Longlast Glosswear, #21 [Bamboo Pink])
-one tube of Carmex
-four pens (three ballpoint, one gel)
-chewing gum (Ice Breakers Ice Cubes White, Wintergreen Splash)
-two receipts from Albertson's (sugar and lilies; water, club soda, and ice cream)
-one cake of rosin (Lizbenzeller Merall-Koluphonlum, Gold III)
-one bar of soap (wrapped)
-four Multi-Symptom Day Time Softgels
-one magnet from Hot Box Pizza
-one of these (sweet mint)
-one tube of Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
-five tampons (Kroger brand, two Super, two Light)
-several checks that need to be deposited
-$4 in coupons for the Good Samaritan store
-work keys (8) and name badge
-one facial tissue (used)
-one ticket stub (Yo-Yo Ma & Kathryn Stott at Bass Performance Hall, 3/16/2010)
-one cough drop wrapper (CVS brand, Cherry)
-one tin of Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme

I wonder if this says anything about me.