Not quite Willy Wonka . . .

This weekend, Andy and I had the pleasure of going to Philadelphia, PA, to go to a wedding reception of my cousin. My dad grew up in the Philly area, and for all of my childhood, his parents lived there, so we would visit there in the summers. Shortly after my Mom-Mom passed away (almost 10 years ago), Pop-Pop moved to South Carolina, so we haven't had an excuse to go back there since. It was strange to be there, and not really have a place to report back . . .

Nevertheless, the reception was great--a very handsome couple, good food, dancing, and all the standard reception activities. The strange coincidence of it all is that the bride is the one for whom the reception was held in Philly (well, Valley Forge, really), because she is from there. So, it just happened to be a coincidence that the groom (my cousin) also had ties to that place.

Anyway, we lived it up while we were there. Andy had his first official cheesesteak from Pat's, the originator of the cheesesteak. This place is crazy--they can conduct an entire business transaction in probably one minute flat (order, pay, receive sandwich). Here's how this transaction might go forth in another shop:

"Hello, how are you today?"
"I'm fine, thanks. Yes, I'd like a cheesesteak, please."
"What kind of cheese?"
"Ahhhh, hmmmm, how about Provolone?"
"Would you like onions?"
"Yes."
"Okay, that will be $7.50."
*Customer hands clerk card*
"Okay, will that be debit or credit?"
"Debit, please."
"Enter your pin, please. Would you like a receipt?"
"No, thanks."
"Okay, have a nice day."
*Customer waits for sandwich.*

At Pat's, there is none of this. Cash only, first of all. The above transaction would read like this:

"Next!"
"One provolone with."
"(To cooks) Provolone with! $7.50."
*Customer hands clerk cash, and just about by the time they receive their change, they walk away with a hot sandwich*

Streamlined. Efficient. Low-tech! And they must make a killing, JUST SELLING SANDWICHES.

We also went to Hershey, PA, to visit the Chocolate World. We've just read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I had high hopes to see some Oompa Loompas while riding around in a glass elevator. Unfortunately, the free tour of the factory ended up being a 10-minute commercial for Hershey's chocolate (and, as it turns out, a rather effective one). It was 9pm when we entered--an hour to closing--and it was packed. And when we stepped off the tour (which was complete with "chocolate smell" and all), we went downstairs to the madness of the gift shop. People were buying armfuls of chocolates as if they'd never seen the stuff before and expected to never see it again (or maybe they were all trying to get a Golden Ticket?). Nothing special about them, either--just regular old Hershey bars. Weird. Thanks to Andy's tenacity, we resisted the urge, and walked out unscathed.

Anyway, Andy's started classes today, so life is changing. I'll be starting my training later this week for Kindermusik, teaching music classes to little kids. Yippee! That will be fun. Still looking for another PT job, but there you have it . . .

Today's Job Search

Imagine that you've finally been starting to have some success on the job search front. Imagine then, that you see a job that, while not absolutely perfect, would definitely be something you would like to do, and are well-qualified to do (i.e., the only thing that keeps it from being the perfect job is the fact that it is part-time, not full-time).

Now. Imagine that you saw the job posting two days after the prospective employers have closed the applications. AND that they have a rather annoying online application process that automatically removes job postings as they close, and expressly say, "No paper applications will be accepted, you must apply using our database."

I'm still trying to get in the back door, but MAN. This annoys me. How do I still get my application in, without it just ending up in the recycling bin??? Should I just mail it anyway??

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.