Momentary Sabbatical

I know, I know! I've been slacking in blogging this semester and I blame my demanding classes. Thankfully, it looks like my coursework will lighten up slightly between now and the end of the term. I'm enjoying Pittsburgh more than I did over the summer and have met a lot of great people in the last few months, but don't fret hometown friends - I have no desire to move here permanently!

So what have I been doing lately? Besides studying, sleeping, and eating? Well, my birthday was last month and some friends from school treated me to a chicken stir-fry dinner (my favorite) and a chocolate fondue dessert at The Melting Pot. That same night we rode the Dusquesne Incline (my second time). Another night I invited people over for chili and a movie. Also, I get together with a wonderful group of girls every couple weeks for a Bible study. I'm back in the habit of running, though I wasn't too committed this week.

Next week I only have one class Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so I'm heading down to Kentucky to visit family this weekend. I'm especially looking forward to this as I'll get to see my baby nephew and I haven't been down there since he was born. I'll come back to Pittsburgh for my class, and then head home for Thanksgiving! I'm so relieved to be at this point in the semester!

Thank you to those of you who regularly check up on me through this blog, especially Mrs. R from home - my mom tells me you have been waiting to find out what's going on out here :o) I'll try to do a better job with this blog in the future.

Center of the World

This Thursday and Friday Pittsburgh is hosting the G20 summit, which means things could get interesting. Several protests, both legal and illegal, are scheduled throughout the week. Downtown will be closed and a lot of bus routes have been altered. Safety has become a concern for the city and several of the area universities will be closed those days, but not Pitt. However, my professors have cancelled on campus classes, but will still post lectures on the University's portal system. That means a long week with no scheduled places for me to go! I plan to go to a Bible study, do some running, and visit a coffee shop or two this week to get me out of my apartment and away from these books!

End of One Life, Beginning of Another

Before I went home for Labor Day, in fact before I even moved to Pittsburgh, I was considering purchasing a new computer. My old laptop, affectionately nicknamed "Grandma," was nearing the 5 year mark and I didn't really trust her to get me through this year. This past weekend, I was pretty sure that this was the weekend that Grandma would be retired. My thoughts were confirmed Friday night.

I was sitting at the kitchen table with mom and doing some school work on my computer. Out of the blue, my cursor would not move where I commanded it to. I could move it around just fine with the touch pad, but when I clicked on the button to signal where I wanted it to be - nothing. In a flurry of concern I did what anyone else would probably do - turn the computer off manually and reboot. Again, the cursor remained in exactly the same place blinking at me. I tried clicking on other windows and applications with no luck.

With concern, I showed the problem to my dad. He started playing around and I noticed that the cursor would move whenever my dad gave it a commanding click. What in the world? I thought. He looked at me and just told me I needed to click the button harder. Oh... right. I returned to the kitchen table and began pounding away with the clicking button. I couldn't just press it harder to make it work, I had to pound the thing. It seemed rather comedic. Had anyone who walked into the room that moment, they would have thought I was very was writing an email in a fit of rage from the loud clicks that filled the air.

Grandma was still operable, but after Friday's incident, I didn't dare to trust her to carry me through eight more months of graduate work. I had been researching computers for a few months already, so I had a good idea as to what I wanted. Sunday afternoon my dad and I walked into the Apple store at the mall and about an hour later I officially became a Mac.

Return of the Librarian

I'm back to blogging (after a brief vacation)! I spent most of August back in good old Allentown. My three-week-long summer was wonderful. I got to spend some much needed time with much loved family and friends! My summer consisted mostly of hanging out and playing games with friends, catching a few movies with the family, getting back into the running routine (which I've seemed to have lost upon returning to Pittsburgh last week), baking, and spending time at the beach. This down time was well spent, if I do say so myself!

I drove back to Pittsburgh last Wednesday for orientation. Classes start this week and I'm really looking forward to this semster. There are a lot of newbies to my program, so I think this semester will be a lot easier to meet people. A friend who was in my program with me this summer made the comment when she saw me the other day, "You seem so refreshed and relaxed! So this is what you're like when you're not stressed." Made me laugh, but also made me think how I should not let myself get bogged down with everything I have to do. I think a lot of it had to do with the lack of fellowship I had over the summer.

Keep visiting as I'll post regular updates! Thanks for following my journey so far. Good luck to my BCS family as they begin school this week!

Star Gazing

Friday night I went with a group of people to a star gazing party. It was hosted by the Pittsburgh Astronomy club out in the country, north of the city. There was a small visitors' center there which housed at least two massive telescopes, one pointed towards a distant galaxy and the other at a binary star. I was pretty impressed and felt pretty small looking at such a big sky. We caught a glimpse of the international space station make a trek above us and a Soviet satellite following it. I taught 5-8th grade science two years ago (though I was trained in elementary education) and covered stars with the students. It was neat to be able to take what I learned from teaching that year and apply it to what I observed at the party.

Living Large

After over 2 months of living in the 'Burgh, I finally got tired of staring at empty walls and decided to invest in some wall decorations. My dad kindly bestowed a hammer and some nails upon me when I moved out here, so I had the necessary tools to do the job. Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever hung anything on a wall in my life and definitely not without being under someone else's supervision. Needless to say I was a little nervous about my project. I bought three small plaques to hang in my kitchen and and a clock to hang in my living room. I'm please to announce that there were no trips to the emergency room and the apartment looks pretty good so far. I'm keeping an eye out for something bigger to hang over the sofa. On top of all this wall decoration excitement, I just received an unexpected call from my landlord today informing me that my kitchen countertops are going to be replaced tomorrow - no more burn marks and coffee stains! I love all the renovation my apartment is receiving!

Battle Wound

For those who don't know, I am an Ultimate Frisbee fanatic. Back home I played with a group every Sunday, so since my move to Pittsburgh I've been looking for another group. What a challenge! I found a Frisbee league, but I don't want to pay to play and I don't take the sport that seriously. It's just something I play because I enjoy running around and being physically challenged. I finally struck gold two weeks ago I was studying at Schenley Park. A group of people were playing my sport not too far away, so before I left I asked if I could possibly join them. This past Sunday was my first time sporting my sneakers on a Frisbee field since early spring, and it felt so good. Of course, no game of Frisbee is complete without some kind of slight injury, you know, to keep things exciting. (Plus, my dad thinks the emergency room would be an excellent place for me to meet a nice, single doctor. Oh dad.) So, being the newbie, I was thrown the Frisbee and fumbled it in my fingertips. It bounced off my hands and into my left eye! Ouch! Though my eye stung and kept watering, I was fine except for a slight bruise in the outer corner of my eye. It was hardly visible the next day, which kind of upset me. I think it would be cool to respond, "Oh this? It's just from playing Frisbee," when people asked me about how I got injured. There's always next Sunday...

A Taste of Sweetness

My parents came for a spur of the moment trip this weekend! The goal was really for my mom to visit my grandpa in his nursing home an hour or so away, but they stayed with me Saturday night. We went down to Murry street for dinner. I have to admit that I felt somewhat guilty not inviting them to share in my corn chowder that I made the previous night, but I couldn't stand the thought of eating potatoes again. Instead, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for non-potato restaurant food and apologized later. I think they would have taken me out regardless, not because my cooking is bad, but because they want to treat me and get me out of my apartment. Sunday morning we went out for breakfast and they left soon after. It was a short visit, but it was so sweet to get a taste of home!

Sack of Potatoes

A few weeks ago I saw a 5 lb. bag of white potatoes while grocery shopping. I guess I was thinking, "Oh potatoes! I like potatoes. You can do a lot with potatoes. Potatoes are filling, but more importantly, potatoes are CHEAP!" So, needless to say, I bought the potatoes. Over the last couple of weeks, I've made baked potatoes, potato fries, and potato omelets. I still had six potatoes left in my pantry this morning and they were in dire need of use. So tonight I decided to make corn chowder, in which potatoes are a main ingredient. (I bought several ears of corn, cooked them, and then cut the kernals off the cob - Hello! It's cheaper than buying canned corn! They needed to be used too.) So now my potatoes and corn are used, which makes me happy. However, there's a gianormous pot of corn chowder sitting on my stove. I estimate two weeks to finish it off. What's the moral of this story? No single person living by herself should ever have need or reason to purchase a 5 lb. bag of potatoes no matter how cheap it is! It's nearly impossible to eat them all without getting sick of them!

Exploring Oakland

Part of the reason why I enjoy my Multicultural class is because we go on a field trip every Tuesday. Yesterday our trip involved touring the American Indian and Dinosaur exhibits at the Carnegie Museum, eating a fantastic Syrian lunch at Schenley Plaza while being serenaded by a live musician, exploring the Pennsylvania Room of the Carnegie Library, and taking a walking historic tour of the Oakland area. Later on, after my night class, a friend also introduced me to the Pittsburgh institution of Dave and Andy's ice cream through a black raspberry cookies and cream waffle cone experience. Though very tasty, the Penn State Creamery still ranks higher on my list. You can't beat the starting point of Ben & Jerry's!

Fireworks on the 4th

A friend's dad works for a local fireworks company and she invited me to her dad's 4th of July show. Before it got dark, he showed me what the fireworks look like and how they're set up before being lit. They're pretty much little bags of gunpowder stuffed down into a tube. It looked pretty complicated with all the filament and not a job I would ever desire to have.

We sat maybe 75 yards of where the fireworks were being shot off and they looked like they were exploding straight above our heads! During the finale, I couldn't decide if I should watch the fireworks or the fireworks crew - both looked equally exciting. The ground looked like a huge ball of fire as so many fireworks were set off at the same time!

Fresh Air? I Think Not!

I've shared my first gripe about Pittsburgh when I began this post - the driving! Now, I'm sharing the second - the air quality. Running on 5th Avenue made sense to me, because for part of it there are only a few side streets until you get closer to the universities. However, I failed to realize that running along this main drag meant that I'd be breathing in car or bus exhaust - yuck! My whole point in running is to reduce stress and make myself stronger and healthier, not increase the chance of having lung cancer. Blah! I'm choosing the side streets next time or maybe the Bellefield gym though I'd much rather be outside.

Sporting the Sneakers

Last summer I was super diligent in running 2-3 times per week. I always tend to slack off during the school year, but now that it's summer I want to get back on a running schedule. I've gone for a few rigorous walks through Shadyside and Oakland, but yesterday I kicked off my summer running season with a strenous, exhausting long-distance run. Okay, I ran like 2 miles, but it sure felt like it was a long distance.

Laundry

Yesterday was laundry day. Being the thrifty person that I am, I had the wonderful idea of air-drying my laundry rather than pay $1.50 per load to use the dryer in my building. I not not currently have a drying rack, so instead I carefully laid out my clothes on my recliner, in my bathroom, over my pull-out sofa, around the floor, and even on my desk. The only place left to work was at my bed. This was not especially good as I felt fidgety all day with the need to move around. Plus I couldn't stand to see how messy my apartment was with so much laundry all over the place. In the end, my laundry kicked me out and I ended up going to a coffee shop in the afternoon. I came home for dinner (Its' cheaper to eat at home than out - I told you I was thrifty...) and then headed out again to another coffee shop to continue the work and support my caffeine habit. It was inconvenient, yet it wasn't so miserable that I would say I'll never do it again. Maybe I should consider my visits home around my laundry needs.

Creative Kitchen

Today I discovered that it's difficult to make a quality cake when you have no mixing bowls, whisks, or mixer. I mixed my ingredients in a pot and stirred the batter with a spoon. I should have taken the opportunity to knock on my neighbor's door and introduce myself and ask to borrow these items, but didn't think of it until it was too late. This is the lumpiest cake ever, good, but lumpy. I think I need to plan a trip to Walmart.

Grandma

My grandmother passed away on Friday. She's been fighting Alzheimer's for years, so in a way, this truly is a blessing. She was an extremely creative and diligent woman. She loved arts and crafts. She was always baking cinnamon rolls or some other treat in our kitchen within 15 minutes of arriving. She also loved music and singing. Growing up, she even played guitar and sang on a radio show with her sisters. To honor her, one of my cousins and I are singing "Amazing Grace" and "I Can Only Imagine" at her funeral. I sure she'll be smiling down from heaven as she sees her grandchildren carrying on her love for music.

Tornado? Earthquake? Tsunami?

I just survived the most violent thunderstorm of my life. Torrents of rain, thrashing winds, massive lightning, booming thunder, penny-sized hail... Some company would have been much appreciated! I was tempted to knock on my neighbor's door, but I've not yet met him or her. My candle (in case the power went out) and book just didn't cut it.

Playing Tourist

This weekend turned out to be the kickoff of my year long adventure of being a tourist in Pittsburgh. Friday night, a friend took me to the Arts Festival at Point Park, the place where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. I was amazed at how beautiful everything looked. We also rode the Duquesne Incline cable cars that go up the South Hills. The view of Point Park and the city lights was breath-taking from the lookout platform at the top of the hills. Apparently, it's been ranked as the second most beautiful view in America by USA Weekend magazine. I was surprised at how much there could be seen from one place - Heinz Field, the Carnegie Science Center (and submarine), and lots of other prominent buildings I can't remember.

Weekend Back East

Yesterday I returned to Pittsburgh after going on a retreat in the poconos and visiting home. The retreat was for young adults connected to my church back home. I loved getting away for a little bit, playing frisbee, and seeing old friends. It was also refreshing to be in country, to look up at the sky at night and actually be able to see stars.

I also went home because my 3rd graders that I taught this past year had their awards ceremony. I missed the seven little squirts, but didn't realize how much until I saw them again. I'm so proud of how hard they worked!

It was also wonderful to reconnect some with friends both on the retreat and at school. Homesickness is cured for the time being.

Driving Home - Part 2

No worries this week - I made it home safe and sound. I'm pleased to report that no unexpected side trips presented themselves and I only had to pay $8.15 this week for tolls compared to about $12.50 last week. I think the route still needs some tweaking, but I have a year to work on that. It would be nice to find a park some place halfway through the trip to stop and stretch my legs. Rest stops just don't cut it.

Driving Home - Part 1

In going home this weekend I tried to avoid as many toll roads as possible, because I am cheap in the sense that I hate spending money. It turned out to be not such a great idea because you when you look on a map, Maryland is not in between Pittsburgh and Allentown. When you see signs for Cumberland, they don't mean Cumberland, PA. Don't follow those signs! I ended up having to turn around and paying the cost of the trip on the most expensive route. So in the end I lost four bucks and an hour as I back-tracked my way to PA. Grrr.

I'm still determined to find a good route, so stay tuned to find out what happens when I make the trip again next week.

Pittsburgh Driving

I've always been one of those cautious drivers that everyone else on the road hates because I drive too slow. Not so much anymore! At first I was afraid to drive here, but after trying it a few times, I've realized it's not so bad. You just have to be aggressive, you know, claim your territory.
I do have some grievances though. This crazy city is definitely morphing my right foot into a hunk of lead whenever I get behind the wheel. There's a stoplight every two blocks. What's up with that? What's with being able to park in the right lane on Fifth Avenue on Sundays? It can take 15 minutes to go 2 miles some days when traveling from my apartment to campus. I don't understand. Life was so much more simple in Allentown...

Now that I'm moved, unpacked, settled, and have T.V. and internet, I'm beginning to feel the stress of the semester creeping in. I'm sure it's just a matter of finding a balance and knowing what to focus on, but I'm not there yet. Also, I'm beginning week three of living in Pittsburgh on my own. A little bit of homesickness is beginning to set in, but I'm so thankful for the many modes of communication we have available these days!

Today came as a relief! I finally had television and internet installed - whoo-hoo! I had been listening to the radio a lot this past week, but I was getting antsy these last few days for some entertainment. I never realized how much I take television and internet for granted!

Move-In Day

Yesterday my dad and uncle came to Pittsburgh, along with all my belongings in tow in a U-haul trailer. Despite how small my apartment is, it took forever to put carpet down and arrange all the furniture in an eye appealing fashion. In the afternoon we drove to my grandparents' nursing home and retrieved some of their furniture from when they were in an assisted living facility. That was a big help. I still have several boxes to still go through, but I'm happy the hard stuff is done!

Today I learned how to defrost a freezer using a paint scraper, a screwdriver, and a hot pan of water. Note: it helps to do this BEFORE you buy all your frozen/refrigerated food items.

My First Few Days in the 'Burgh

I arrived in Pittsburgh Sunday night after spending the weekend in Kentucky with some family, including my newborn nephew. My apartment is not available until Thursday, so I've been living with friends of a friend. They have been extremely helpful in so many ways, but apart from them, I know no one in this big place! I feel excited and a little scared at the same time, but I know things will be fine once I get settled in and meet people.